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Kids of The District #4
His Pretty Little Burden
Sweet little Fawn is the daughter of a boss in The District Cosa Nostra.
The daughter of the man who betrayed my family.
Not only is she a burden—barely eighteen, naïve, the epitome of a little deer in headlights-
But she is too damn pretty.
Too pretty to have clawed her way through life, merely surviving.
Too pretty to be so utterly vulnerable, alone, and asking for help from the deadliest man in the city—me.
Christ. She is too pretty to be walking my halls at midnight.
Too damn pretty. . . to not be mine.
My pretty little burden.
His Pretty Little Burden is part of The Kids of The District series but can be read without the previous books, although it follows a greater narrative. It has a happily for now. It features a powerful Mafia Don, and his endearing tortured little heroine. His Pretty Little Burden has an age-gap dynamic that some people may find uncomfortable. It is an epic love story first. Word steam second. Violence, gore, and drama, third. Enjoy.
The daughter of the man who betrayed my family.
Not only is she a burden—barely eighteen, naïve, the epitome of a little deer in headlights-
But she is too damn pretty.
Too pretty to have clawed her way through life, merely surviving.
Too pretty to be so utterly vulnerable, alone, and asking for help from the deadliest man in the city—me.
Christ. She is too pretty to be walking my halls at midnight.
Too damn pretty. . . to not be mine.
My pretty little burden.
His Pretty Little Burden is part of The Kids of The District series but can be read without the previous books, although it follows a greater narrative. It has a happily for now. It features a powerful Mafia Don, and his endearing tortured little heroine. His Pretty Little Burden has an age-gap dynamic that some people may find uncomfortable. It is an epic love story first. Word steam second. Violence, gore, and drama, third. Enjoy.
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2022
8347 people are currently reading
34185 people want to read
About the author
Nicci Harris
25 books2,568 followersI write about women who make unattainable men fall hard and forever.
♥ Stalk me please:
https://linktr.ee/author.nicciharris
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"She (Nicci) shines in crafting novels that toe the line between dark and dangerous, and sweet and sexy, which culminates into a deliciously sinful story of passion, truth, and acceptance." - Jessica @jessicareadsit
♥ Stalk me please:
https://linktr.ee/author.nicciharris
♥
"She (Nicci) shines in crafting novels that toe the line between dark and dangerous, and sweet and sexy, which culminates into a deliciously sinful story of passion, truth, and acceptance." - Jessica @jessicareadsit
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,458 reviews
May 29, 2022
dnf at 66% for multiple reasons
there are spoilers ahead but i feel like the trigger warning is more important than a spoiler warning
❗️❗️❗️MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THEMES SUCH AS SEXUAL ASSAULT AND MISCARRIAGE ❗️❗️❗️
(it is currently 1.30 AM while i’m writing this so excuse me if i’m a little all over the place, this is also the first review i’ve ever written but with this book i really need to get some things off my chest before i attempt to sleep)
i respect anyone who did enjoy this book and was able to finish it but what i cannot wrap my head around is the overwhelming amount of 5 star reviews praising this book and not mentioning what a fucking horrible train wreck it actually is
i normally love a dark romance novel containing taboo subjects (really, it’s often what i look for often in a book) but i don’t know exactly yet what it is about this one that made me feel super uneasy (well actually i do know, but it seems that i’m so frustrated with this book that i can’t properly articulate it)
so many of these 5 star reviews mention to read the trigger warnings but i’m either dumb or these trigger warnings were practically non fucking existent because nowhere in before starting the actual book was i warned that there was going to be an intensely graphic, multiple page description of a gang rape
now here’s a hastily and frustratedly compiled list of all my problems with this book
- author gives a warning that the book contains dark themes and “explores themes of severe trauma”, but fails to mention what these themes entail (namely a very graphic rape scene and from what i’ve read from other reviews a miscarriage)
- the whole calling him ‘sir’ thing is just plain fucking weird (she even refers to him as ‘sir’ when talking about him to his brother) and maybe i skimmed too much but i don’t think she has actually called him by his name once
- she is so fucking naive it’s ridiculous, i was hoping for her to just have a little spark in her but she’s just so unbearably submissive and to me she completely lacks personality of any sense of free will
- he feels very predatory in the way that he seemingly never asks for consent when engaging in sexual acts (which seem to me to be very rough) (EVEN IMMEDIATELY AFTER HE SEES THE TAPE OF HER VERY BRUTAL RAPE)
- listen i love a possessive man but Clay was just too fucking much and it felt so unrealistic and robotic in a way and yeah duh he’s a maffia boss but he just felt so unkind and not likeable at all
- it’s almost most definitely NOT a stand-alone and unless you have read the other books in the series you will not know what’s going on for most of the time
- their dialogue together is so unnatural and unpleasant to read
i most likely will not read any of the other books written by this author because i never wish to be reminded of this horrific piece ever again
if you did enjoy this book, good for you, i’m not here to take away from your experience with this book
excuse me if i was a little rough with my review but this is genuinely how i feel and this is just my personal opinion that i felt like i had to share and by no means do i wish any hate upon the author and those who did enjoy the book <3
there are spoilers ahead but i feel like the trigger warning is more important than a spoiler warning
❗️❗️❗️MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THEMES SUCH AS SEXUAL ASSAULT AND MISCARRIAGE ❗️❗️❗️
(it is currently 1.30 AM while i’m writing this so excuse me if i’m a little all over the place, this is also the first review i’ve ever written but with this book i really need to get some things off my chest before i attempt to sleep)
i respect anyone who did enjoy this book and was able to finish it but what i cannot wrap my head around is the overwhelming amount of 5 star reviews praising this book and not mentioning what a fucking horrible train wreck it actually is
i normally love a dark romance novel containing taboo subjects (really, it’s often what i look for often in a book) but i don’t know exactly yet what it is about this one that made me feel super uneasy (well actually i do know, but it seems that i’m so frustrated with this book that i can’t properly articulate it)
so many of these 5 star reviews mention to read the trigger warnings but i’m either dumb or these trigger warnings were practically non fucking existent because nowhere in before starting the actual book was i warned that there was going to be an intensely graphic, multiple page description of a gang rape
now here’s a hastily and frustratedly compiled list of all my problems with this book
- author gives a warning that the book contains dark themes and “explores themes of severe trauma”, but fails to mention what these themes entail (namely a very graphic rape scene and from what i’ve read from other reviews a miscarriage)
- the whole calling him ‘sir’ thing is just plain fucking weird (she even refers to him as ‘sir’ when talking about him to his brother) and maybe i skimmed too much but i don’t think she has actually called him by his name once
- she is so fucking naive it’s ridiculous, i was hoping for her to just have a little spark in her but she’s just so unbearably submissive and to me she completely lacks personality of any sense of free will
- he feels very predatory in the way that he seemingly never asks for consent when engaging in sexual acts (which seem to me to be very rough) (EVEN IMMEDIATELY AFTER HE SEES THE TAPE OF HER VERY BRUTAL RAPE)
- listen i love a possessive man but Clay was just too fucking much and it felt so unrealistic and robotic in a way and yeah duh he’s a maffia boss but he just felt so unkind and not likeable at all
- it’s almost most definitely NOT a stand-alone and unless you have read the other books in the series you will not know what’s going on for most of the time
- their dialogue together is so unnatural and unpleasant to read
i most likely will not read any of the other books written by this author because i never wish to be reminded of this horrific piece ever again
if you did enjoy this book, good for you, i’m not here to take away from your experience with this book
excuse me if i was a little rough with my review but this is genuinely how i feel and this is just my personal opinion that i felt like i had to share and by no means do i wish any hate upon the author and those who did enjoy the book <3
May 10, 2022
Seeing an opportunity to manipulate a situation in his favor, Clay Butcher, Don of the Cosa Nostra in the District, invites young Fawn Harlow to stay at his estate while he tracks down her father, Dustin Nerrock.
What follows is the unexpected and inexplicably beautiful relationship that develops between the Mayor and his little deer.
Watching their love unfold and grow was absolutely everything. Clay has the dichotomy that I love in a made man: tough with the world, tender with his woman. Their journey to happily ever after has already been bumpy and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them in His Pretty Little Queen.
I’ll leave you with two final words: pėnïs pacifier. 🥵
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥1/2
Darkness: 🖤
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
Ending: HFN/Cliffy
POV: Dual
🗂 Genre: Romantic Suspense
✨ Tropes: Age Gap (<20 Years), Mafia/Bratva/Crime Family, My Pröperty Vibes,
🫦 Kinks: Daddy-esque, Praise, Submission
⛔️ Warning: This book may cause blushing, squirming, combusting panties, and/or self-care.
⚠️ Safety Squad: If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!
📣 Type: His Pretty Little Burden is part of the Kids of the District series, but can be read as a standalone. However, these books will be best enjoyed when read in order.
🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.
What follows is the unexpected and inexplicably beautiful relationship that develops between the Mayor and his little deer.
Watching their love unfold and grow was absolutely everything. Clay has the dichotomy that I love in a made man: tough with the world, tender with his woman. Their journey to happily ever after has already been bumpy and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them in His Pretty Little Queen.
I’ll leave you with two final words: pėnïs pacifier. 🥵
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥1/2
Darkness: 🖤
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶
Ending: HFN/Cliffy
POV: Dual
🗂 Genre: Romantic Suspense
✨ Tropes: Age Gap (<20 Years), Mafia/Bratva/Crime Family, My Pröperty Vibes,
🫦 Kinks: Daddy-esque, Praise, Submission
⛔️ Warning: This book may cause blushing, squirming, combusting panties, and/or self-care.
⚠️ Safety Squad: If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!
📣 Type: His Pretty Little Burden is part of the Kids of the District series, but can be read as a standalone. However, these books will be best enjoyed when read in order.
🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.
May 13, 2022
2.7 stars. The blurb for this book says it can be a stand-alone – that’s a lie. You’d be very confused if you read this without having read Our Thing: The Ballerina & The Butcher Boy Complete Duet and Her Way.
Also, this story has a LOT of stuff that’s not everyone’s jam, so you should know before going in:
Anyway, onto the story: Clay is 35, newly the head of the local mafia, and the mayor of the District (the fictional Australian city where these books are set). He’s married, but for arranged mafia reasons, he and his wife don’t have a sexual relationship. I actually love this part of the book - since his wife isn’t an evil OW who’s an obstacle to his relationship with the heroine. She wants good things for him and supports it! I want Aurora to live her best lesbian life, and be a mafia queen.
The heroine, Fern is 18, grew up in the foster system, and she goes to Clay’s house for help with her pregnancy situation, since she thinks her long lost dad is there. He’s not, and little does Fern know that Clay is pretending to be generous and have her stay with him while he “looks for” her dad, but he’s REALLY planning to use her and her unborn son to lure out her dad to kill him. (The reason relates to events from earlier books…so this would be confusing if you read it as a standalone!)
Fern is submissive and naïve. She’s kind of a boring heroine, but she’s not bad. Clay is a typical dominant alpha-hole, he's nothing special as a hero, I like his brothers better, but he’s not bad, either.
This is a hard book to rate, because there was a lot to like about it: their relationship is a decent steamy D/s age gap. I liked that Clay’s wife wasn’t the typical cliché evil OW. And, seeing the Butchers again is fun: Max, Bronson, and Xander all appear - though I would have liked more Max. Also, this author is no longer choosing violence and using awkward wording – she’s no longer using the word "penis" during smutty scenes like she did in Our Thing: The Ballerina & The Butcher Boy Complete Duet. Somebody must have talked to her about that and she listened, good!
But, there was also a lot that I disliked. I have nothing against a pregnancy plot line, but the way it was done here was unpleasant, AND unrealistic.
And, it doesn’t escape me that ALL the books in this series have had fucked up pregnancy plot lines. It was fine to have that one time in Max’s story…but doing it TWO more times (in Bronson’s book and now this one) feels like this is getting weird, now! It’s not enjoyable to read, since it’s never a scandalous “secret baby” trope – I like those! But the way this author does it is always messed up, and sinks what are otherwise pretty good stories.
I'll still read Part 2 of Clay's story to see what happens, and if Xander Butcher gets a book, I’ll still read it, since I’m invested in these Butcher boys. But I’ll steel myself to expect a weird and unpleasant pregnancy plot line in that one too, since that’s apparently this author’s Thing.
Also, this story has a LOT of stuff that’s not everyone’s jam, so you should know before going in:
Anyway, onto the story: Clay is 35, newly the head of the local mafia, and the mayor of the District (the fictional Australian city where these books are set). He’s married, but for arranged mafia reasons, he and his wife don’t have a sexual relationship. I actually love this part of the book - since his wife isn’t an evil OW who’s an obstacle to his relationship with the heroine. She wants good things for him and supports it! I want Aurora to live her best lesbian life, and be a mafia queen.
The heroine, Fern is 18, grew up in the foster system, and she goes to Clay’s house for help with her pregnancy situation, since she thinks her long lost dad is there. He’s not, and little does Fern know that Clay is pretending to be generous and have her stay with him while he “looks for” her dad, but he’s REALLY planning to use her and her unborn son to lure out her dad to kill him. (The reason relates to events from earlier books…so this would be confusing if you read it as a standalone!)
Fern is submissive and naïve. She’s kind of a boring heroine, but she’s not bad. Clay is a typical dominant alpha-hole, he's nothing special as a hero, I like his brothers better, but he’s not bad, either.
This is a hard book to rate, because there was a lot to like about it: their relationship is a decent steamy D/s age gap. I liked that Clay’s wife wasn’t the typical cliché evil OW. And, seeing the Butchers again is fun: Max, Bronson, and Xander all appear - though I would have liked more Max. Also, this author is no longer choosing violence and using awkward wording – she’s no longer using the word "penis" during smutty scenes like she did in Our Thing: The Ballerina & The Butcher Boy Complete Duet. Somebody must have talked to her about that and she listened, good!
But, there was also a lot that I disliked. I have nothing against a pregnancy plot line, but the way it was done here was unpleasant, AND unrealistic.
And, it doesn’t escape me that ALL the books in this series have had fucked up pregnancy plot lines. It was fine to have that one time in Max’s story…but doing it TWO more times (in Bronson’s book and now this one) feels like this is getting weird, now! It’s not enjoyable to read, since it’s never a scandalous “secret baby” trope – I like those! But the way this author does it is always messed up, and sinks what are otherwise pretty good stories.
I'll still read Part 2 of Clay's story to see what happens, and if Xander Butcher gets a book, I’ll still read it, since I’m invested in these Butcher boys. But I’ll steel myself to expect a weird and unpleasant pregnancy plot line in that one too, since that’s apparently this author’s Thing.
April 21, 2024
⚠️ Book triggers include a graphic rape scene and a pregnancy as a result of that rape. It also has a miscarriage ⚠️
The FL was a slice of untoasted bread and the ML reminded me a lot of a bossy shadow that just kind of lurked places. He was a lurker. Also, can I get some fucking verbal consent, you absolute barbarian? Usually, I'm not a stickler for these things but with the fucking trauma dump that this novel turned into, I found myself becoming more and more done with grown men acting like they can't ask a woman if she's okay with what's going on. Her being wet doesn't mean that she's giving consent. Her not saying anything doesn't mean she's giving consent. Even her fucking moaning and screaming her lungs out is just not it for me. For how much the ML enjoyed talking, that one crucial part just seemed to be utterly absent and it pissed me offffff. And him watching the tape of the FL getting raped (they taped it so that was cool just bring up another element of trauma for me) and then deciding that he was protecting her by keeping that from her made me want to flay him before pushing him into a vat of salt and lemon.
I'm begging authors to start putting these triggers in their foreword or book descriptions. I genuinely don't understand why I need to click on a million different things to find out about what I'm getting myself into. And the term "dark themes" is too broad a range for these things to be tossed into.
The FL was a slice of untoasted bread and the ML reminded me a lot of a bossy shadow that just kind of lurked places. He was a lurker. Also, can I get some fucking verbal consent, you absolute barbarian? Usually, I'm not a stickler for these things but with the fucking trauma dump that this novel turned into, I found myself becoming more and more done with grown men acting like they can't ask a woman if she's okay with what's going on. Her being wet doesn't mean that she's giving consent. Her not saying anything doesn't mean she's giving consent. Even her fucking moaning and screaming her lungs out is just not it for me. For how much the ML enjoyed talking, that one crucial part just seemed to be utterly absent and it pissed me offffff. And him watching the tape of the FL getting raped (they taped it so that was cool just bring up another element of trauma for me) and then deciding that he was protecting her by keeping that from her made me want to flay him before pushing him into a vat of salt and lemon.
I'm begging authors to start putting these triggers in their foreword or book descriptions. I genuinely don't understand why I need to click on a million different things to find out about what I'm getting myself into. And the term "dark themes" is too broad a range for these things to be tossed into.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnr-not-safe
June 6, 2024Self note avoid this series generally:
The H is married with OW and they share a lover. There is a detailed OW scene before The h but he already knows who the h are so he gets a bj from OW while imagining the h🤢😵💫 The OW gets mentioned pretty often so this is a no go for me.
His thoughts about OW:
“Lorna draws my attention towards the door as she walks through it, still in only her pink robe. Her presence resonates in my cock, her mouth and body has been used in so many ways to please me. I stroke the growing bulge that delights in her. A better mood is definitely needed.” Yuck🤢🤢
“I groan as I use Lorna’s head to my liking, ignoring her small whimpers of uncertainty, focused on pumping the disappointment straight from my balls.
Her throat and tongue pulse, squeezing my cock as I drive it into her mouth. As the taut muscles in my thighs tense up, my balls prickle and squeeze.
Lorna moans around my cock, and the reverie of the small sound that slipped from my little deer's lips when I stroked inside her cheek, flashes in my mind.”
“The three of us have worked hard for it,” she says, a pink blush hitting her cheeks. It is such an interesting colour on her, every inch of her skin a slight rosy hue, the softest of the colours—perhaps second to white. To be the fool who views those traits as humble and compliant, who attempts to lead her. She would end their career within seconds. She's a fox, her red hair and beauty drawing in her prey only to maul them the instant they go in for a pet.”
To those who said that this is a safe read with NO OW yall be lying 🤢😤😪
The H is married with OW and they share a lover. There is a detailed OW scene before The h but he already knows who the h are so he gets a bj from OW while imagining the h🤢😵💫 The OW gets mentioned pretty often so this is a no go for me.
His thoughts about OW:
“Lorna draws my attention towards the door as she walks through it, still in only her pink robe. Her presence resonates in my cock, her mouth and body has been used in so many ways to please me. I stroke the growing bulge that delights in her. A better mood is definitely needed.” Yuck🤢🤢
“I groan as I use Lorna’s head to my liking, ignoring her small whimpers of uncertainty, focused on pumping the disappointment straight from my balls.
Her throat and tongue pulse, squeezing my cock as I drive it into her mouth. As the taut muscles in my thighs tense up, my balls prickle and squeeze.
Lorna moans around my cock, and the reverie of the small sound that slipped from my little deer's lips when I stroked inside her cheek, flashes in my mind.”
“The three of us have worked hard for it,” she says, a pink blush hitting her cheeks. It is such an interesting colour on her, every inch of her skin a slight rosy hue, the softest of the colours—perhaps second to white. To be the fool who views those traits as humble and compliant, who attempts to lead her. She would end their career within seconds. She's a fox, her red hair and beauty drawing in her prey only to maul them the instant they go in for a pet.”
To those who said that this is a safe read with NO OW yall be lying 🤢😤😪
May 10, 2022
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: Taboo
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Fan-fracking-tastic! What could make this the best mafia don revenge trope that ends with said mafia don caught in the web of his own making? Clay. Butcher. Clay Butcher makes it the best! Every thing about that hot, kinky man with control issues will totally butter your toast, lol. Clay manipulates Fawn Harlow into staying with him while he hunts down her father. The unlikely attraction is instantaneous and neither of them can stay away from the other. The story takes off from page one and never lets up. I've read all of the Kids of the District stories, but Nicci's writing really blew me away this time. From the writing to the story to the kinks, His Pretty Little Burden will NOT disappoint.
His Pretty Little Burden is the 4th book in the Kids of the District Series by Nicci Harris. It end on a HFN cliffy and Clay and Fawn's story will conclude in the next book. The previous books do not need to be read first, but I would recommend it. The story is told in first person, from dual perspective.
⛔️ My bookshelves can sometimes contain spoilers
Trope: Taboo
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Fan-fracking-tastic! What could make this the best mafia don revenge trope that ends with said mafia don caught in the web of his own making? Clay. Butcher. Clay Butcher makes it the best! Every thing about that hot, kinky man with control issues will totally butter your toast, lol. Clay manipulates Fawn Harlow into staying with him while he hunts down her father. The unlikely attraction is instantaneous and neither of them can stay away from the other. The story takes off from page one and never lets up. I've read all of the Kids of the District stories, but Nicci's writing really blew me away this time. From the writing to the story to the kinks, His Pretty Little Burden will NOT disappoint.
His Pretty Little Burden is the 4th book in the Kids of the District Series by Nicci Harris. It end on a HFN cliffy and Clay and Fawn's story will conclude in the next book. The previous books do not need to be read first, but I would recommend it. The story is told in first person, from dual perspective.
⛔️ My bookshelves can sometimes contain spoilers
December 14, 2022
Yes this book was explosive and amazing. This was what I wanted to read: age gap, 🔥 and romance.
It’s worth the reading.
It’s worth the reading.
April 22, 2023
You know when you’re reading dark romances and there’s that man (MMC) = 😏🥵. Well he never appeared. We got this man = 🥴😒.
Ugh. No. Just no. Everything about it.
Only thing I enjoyed was how it was written. Honestly everything else was, respectfully, garbage.
How the r*pe was handled and talked about was shit. How the MMC wouldn’t tell the FMC what happened to her and lied, said the guy(s) who r*ped her made sweet sensual love to her. Yknow, since she couldn’t remember and he didn’t wanna cause her pain 🙄. THE FUCK?!
The MMC didn’t love her. He literally thought of her as property. He used the same lines on her when fucking her as he did on his mistress not even a couple days prior. It’s gross.
This book just made me mad and I was rec’d this because I was told it was soooo hot. Steer clear please.
Ugh. No. Just no. Everything about it.
Only thing I enjoyed was how it was written. Honestly everything else was, respectfully, garbage.
How the r*pe was handled and talked about was shit. How the MMC wouldn’t tell the FMC what happened to her and lied, said the guy(s) who r*ped her made sweet sensual love to her. Yknow, since she couldn’t remember and he didn’t wanna cause her pain 🙄. THE FUCK?!
The MMC didn’t love her. He literally thought of her as property. He used the same lines on her when fucking her as he did on his mistress not even a couple days prior. It’s gross.
This book just made me mad and I was rec’d this because I was told it was soooo hot. Steer clear please.
May 17, 2022
I've gone back and forth on my rating because while I did enjoy some parts of this book, there was so much that just didn't set right with me. The first being that this is NOT a standalone. I haven't read this author before, so therefore I haven't read the rest of the series, and i was so confused for a good while, which took me away from connecting with the characters. Secondly, it makes sense that Fern is a submissive h, especially with what happened to her (warning: this book deals with sexual assault, and getting pregnant from said assault. And the rape scene is very graphic.) But, and I hate to say it, she was TOO timid for me. I wanted her to have some fire, some oomph, some fuck the patriarchy trailblazer.. but nothing. She still walked around blindly trusting what everyone told her, and the fact that she didn't question anything just rubbed me the wrong way. Plus what happens with her and the baby later on in the book just made me so sad. I've read dark books and usually they don't bother me, but this wasn't dark.. it was just depressing.
I didn't like our H either. He was another alpha hole mafia man who thought his 💩 doesn't stink, and the fact that he was using Fern and her unborn baby to get back at her father (which you have to read the other books to get that full storyline?) just made it so hard for me to respect him. Actually the only thing I liked in regards to him was that his marriage was just for show only, and his wife wasn't the cliché evil ow. I actually really liked her more than anyone else.
That's not to say there's not some hot scenes, but this whole thing was just so depressing that it made it so hard to care about the smut or the actual storyline.
Actually I take that back: the part where her pos rapists die gruesome and evil deaths will always be my favorite part of this book, and that's how 'men' like that in our society should be treated. Don't come at me. I'm so fucking tired of the scums of this earth getting away with the horrible shit they do without any repercussions at all. So it made my nasty woman heart very fucking happy that they were mutilated.
I also didn't realize this was a duet, so there is a cliffy. But with everything that happened and just how disconnected I was from the characters, I'm not sure if I'll read the conclusion.
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions **
I didn't like our H either. He was another alpha hole mafia man who thought his 💩 doesn't stink, and the fact that he was using Fern and her unborn baby to get back at her father (which you have to read the other books to get that full storyline?) just made it so hard for me to respect him. Actually the only thing I liked in regards to him was that his marriage was just for show only, and his wife wasn't the cliché evil ow. I actually really liked her more than anyone else.
That's not to say there's not some hot scenes, but this whole thing was just so depressing that it made it so hard to care about the smut or the actual storyline.
Actually I take that back: the part where her pos rapists die gruesome and evil deaths will always be my favorite part of this book, and that's how 'men' like that in our society should be treated. Don't come at me. I'm so fucking tired of the scums of this earth getting away with the horrible shit they do without any repercussions at all. So it made my nasty woman heart very fucking happy that they were mutilated.
I also didn't realize this was a duet, so there is a cliffy. But with everything that happened and just how disconnected I was from the characters, I'm not sure if I'll read the conclusion.
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions **
April 25, 2022
It will probably contain a few spoilers. Read at your own risk.
It's a solid 4.5 star read for me. There were a few issues that I just wanted to point out before swiftly moving on to the good stuff.
The first thing that the H thought after realizing that her foster brothers have raped her wasn't that they literally fucking raped her and videotaped it like a fucking psychopath. It was that they took her virginity and made her pregnant before the H could.
I am just not a big fan of reading about my H's previous sexual and romantic endeavours. It doesn't really suit with me.
The last thing that made me a bit queasy was how many times it was mentioned that the h was 'little'. It got repetitive and weird after a certain point.
That being said, it's a dark age gap romance so it wasn't all that uncomfortable and still a pretty enjoyable read. The writing style flowed well with me. I genuinely loved the dialogues and even the inner monologues. The author has also managed to hook me on to the story from the first chapter. I think I would have got a few more references and understood the depth of a few more characters if I read the previous books but despite not reading them the story wasn't unnecessarily complicated or painfully dull. I was enjoying both the h and H's love story and what actually happened with the h.
The book ends in a HFN/cliffhanger (ish) tone with the intent of a sequel.
ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Ps, Daddy Clay can spank me anytime and fuck me any day. And since we are on this subject, he is mine so back the fuck off.
It's a solid 4.5 star read for me. There were a few issues that I just wanted to point out before swiftly moving on to the good stuff.
The first thing that the H thought after realizing that her foster brothers have raped her wasn't that they literally fucking raped her and videotaped it like a fucking psychopath. It was that they took her virginity and made her pregnant before the H could.
I am just not a big fan of reading about my H's previous sexual and romantic endeavours. It doesn't really suit with me.
The last thing that made me a bit queasy was how many times it was mentioned that the h was 'little'. It got repetitive and weird after a certain point.
That being said, it's a dark age gap romance so it wasn't all that uncomfortable and still a pretty enjoyable read. The writing style flowed well with me. I genuinely loved the dialogues and even the inner monologues. The author has also managed to hook me on to the story from the first chapter. I think I would have got a few more references and understood the depth of a few more characters if I read the previous books but despite not reading them the story wasn't unnecessarily complicated or painfully dull. I was enjoying both the h and H's love story and what actually happened with the h.
The book ends in a HFN/cliffhanger (ish) tone with the intent of a sequel.
ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Ps, Daddy Clay can spank me anytime and fuck me any day. And since we are on this subject, he is mine so back the fuck off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 10, 2024Read to chapter 5 (15% of the ebook) and there is a detailed scene with OW after meeting the heroine. MMC also mentions spending the night with OW the night before this scene, hours after meeting the heroine because he “needed more attention” after seeing her.
Had I known this, I would have never attempted to read this book. Shame on me for not better looking into reviews / spoilers!! 🤦♀️
DNF @ 15%
Not safe enough for me
Had I known this, I would have never attempted to read this book. Shame on me for not better looking into reviews / spoilers!! 🤦♀️
DNF @ 15%
Not safe enough for me
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2022
"She has been through hell. So, believe me when I say, fear her when she looks in the fire and smiles." -E.Corona.
It was a good book with some spicy scenes and parts that broke my heart for fawn. Clay and Fawns relationship is like a rose, her being the rose and he's the thorns protecting her.
It was a good book with some spicy scenes and parts that broke my heart for fawn. Clay and Fawns relationship is like a rose, her being the rose and he's the thorns protecting her.
March 1, 2023
yes. that was a thing. that i read.
July 4, 2023
Audiobook Review
My Review is still the same as below BUT I must say Shane East & Sofia Lette have powerhouse performances that completely capture and bring to life the Clay & Fawn I have imagined in my head. Shane East’s voice is pure sex and I could think of no one better to voice Sir.
We were warned - but were you actually ready for Clay Butcher?
Not going to lie I wasn't a fan but....I may of changed my mind.
Nikki told us this was🥵Age-gap taboo, we have our 😇Sweet heroine Fawn and our 😈Mafia Don Clay Butcher, there is unlimited 🔥Steam, 😇 Praise kink, 😈You are my property vibes and finally romance. Don't be fooled though this is dark (please heed the trigger warnings) and it wouldn't be mafia without 🩸Gore and violence.
All the while Nikki has continued with the over arching narrative from the previous books telling a tale of politics, lies, corruption and the Cosa Nostra.
Nikki has put her heart and soul into this book and it translates on the page, His Pretty Little Burden is dark but it is beautifully written she really captures Clay's inner turmoil. I cannot wait to see what awaits in the second half of this duet.
Rocky Road, Cheese Board, Toasted Marshmellows, Ferrero Rocher 😍
My Review is still the same as below BUT I must say Shane East & Sofia Lette have powerhouse performances that completely capture and bring to life the Clay & Fawn I have imagined in my head. Shane East’s voice is pure sex and I could think of no one better to voice Sir.
We were warned - but were you actually ready for Clay Butcher?
Not going to lie I wasn't a fan but....I may of changed my mind.
Nikki told us this was🥵Age-gap taboo, we have our 😇Sweet heroine Fawn and our 😈Mafia Don Clay Butcher, there is unlimited 🔥Steam, 😇 Praise kink, 😈You are my property vibes and finally romance. Don't be fooled though this is dark (please heed the trigger warnings) and it wouldn't be mafia without 🩸Gore and violence.
All the while Nikki has continued with the over arching narrative from the previous books telling a tale of politics, lies, corruption and the Cosa Nostra.
Nikki has put her heart and soul into this book and it translates on the page, His Pretty Little Burden is dark but it is beautifully written she really captures Clay's inner turmoil. I cannot wait to see what awaits in the second half of this duet.
Rocky Road, Cheese Board, Toasted Marshmellows, Ferrero Rocher 😍
September 6, 2022
This book knocked my socks off. While I did skip ahead in the series because I was very intruiged by the blurb and tropes for this book, I will be going back and catching up before the next one comes out. Although this does have a semi-cliffhanger, I knew about it going in and this one had an HFN with room for character growth to come. I am HOOKED.
Fawn and Clay end up in a very interesting relationship and while it is taboo and maybe even a little twisted, I was sucked in immediately. I stayed up until 3 am this morning and then slept for 5 hours and dived right back in when I woke up. I had to know what was going to play out.
I can tell there is a LOT more to come for these two, and I cannot wait.
Read this if you like:
Mafia romance
alpha/dom hero
power dynamics
plenty of "good girl" praises
spankings
great aftercare and hurt/comfort moments
I am also very impressed with Harris' writing. It was so addicting and readable and had this smooth quality that conveyed emotion very powerfully. I can't wait for more.
5 stars
4 on the spice scale
TW: Rape, PTSD, cheating (kind of, this is hard to explain but it's not cheating on the heroine and it involves political marriage), Violence, death, gore, miscarriage
Fawn and Clay end up in a very interesting relationship and while it is taboo and maybe even a little twisted, I was sucked in immediately. I stayed up until 3 am this morning and then slept for 5 hours and dived right back in when I woke up. I had to know what was going to play out.
I can tell there is a LOT more to come for these two, and I cannot wait.
Read this if you like:
Mafia romance
alpha/dom hero
power dynamics
plenty of "good girl" praises
spankings
great aftercare and hurt/comfort moments
I am also very impressed with Harris' writing. It was so addicting and readable and had this smooth quality that conveyed emotion very powerfully. I can't wait for more.
5 stars
4 on the spice scale
TW: Rape, PTSD, cheating (kind of, this is hard to explain but it's not cheating on the heroine and it involves political marriage), Violence, death, gore, miscarriage
January 7, 2023
I truly don't know why but I found this book boring. And I say I don't know why because the story moved along at a pretty good pace and there was a lot going on. Yet I just couldn't get interested in it enough to actually care about what was happening. And the characters just didn't intrigue me at all, especially Fawn. There was a lot that happened in her life that led to where she was but she still came off as very one dimensional and uninteresting.
Overall, I'll mostly chalk this up to a me issue, but I don't think I'd read anything else from this series.
Overall, I'll mostly chalk this up to a me issue, but I don't think I'd read anything else from this series.
May 24, 2022
Did you know I fucking can’t stand pregnancy tropes? And yet, here I am, having finished this entire book despite the pregnancy. I think I did so because it became clear at the start of the book that Fawn’s pregnancy is the result of an assault. So I thought that I would continue to read, and perhaps get a story of a girl who is strong despite the trauma, and I hoped I would be able to move past the pregnancy. It’s odd because this pregnancy is clearly unwanted and scary, but at no point do we see Fawn consider an abortion. She makes it clear early on she doesn’t want the baby, but she continues through the pregnancy. Then don’t get me started on the miscarriage and the awful trauma she suffers from that.
But this book had some major problems for me. I’m surprised it has such high ratings.
To start with, the dialogue between our two main characters in this book is absolutely abhorrent. They speak like robots. They speak like aliens. The grammatical structure of every sentence that comes out of their mouths is so strangely formal and inconsistent with the way people would normally speak. FINE, perhaps I could get past this when it comes to Clay. He’s a man in his thirties and he’s a mafia boss. Maybe he’s more formal. But then you have Fawn, who is created to be an absolutely naive 18 year old girl- there is NO way in hell she would be speaking the way she does in this book. It’s not normal. It made reading the book difficult because it was so stilted and awkward, that it makes it difficult to understand or connect to these characters.
This awkward communication between them also adds to creating an uncomfortable dynamic for me, because Fawn is literally painted as extremely naive and vulnerable- she comes across as a child most of the time. So the intimacy and their relationship is a little uncomfortable for me with the age gap and the alpha male BS that we get with our male MC.
This whole book is really a major trauma dump. Hardcore trauma dump. It’s a lot of darkness. It was frustrating that Clay hid the truth of her assault from her, and it was difficult to see him positively for that. Even if he was just trying to “protect her.”
I find myself frustrated at some of what remains unfinished with this book:
1.) what is to happen with Fawn & her father? He reveals the tape to her and then the book promptly ends, which is a problem
2.) what’s going to happen to aurora and Lorna? We get zero resolution there
3.) What’s the deal with Clay, his family, and his rule? This is a standalone so it’s not like there’s a second book that will give us all these answers. It’s annoying to have so many unfinished bits missing from a book.
I also really hated Jasmine, and quite frankly did not understand the purpose of her character, her lies, or their subsequent makeup. It was useless to the plot.
I don’t think this is a very good book for these reasons. Unfinished storylines & stilted writing pose a problem, not even addressing the dynamic in their relationship and the awful pregnancy trauma we deal with in this.
But this book had some major problems for me. I’m surprised it has such high ratings.
To start with, the dialogue between our two main characters in this book is absolutely abhorrent. They speak like robots. They speak like aliens. The grammatical structure of every sentence that comes out of their mouths is so strangely formal and inconsistent with the way people would normally speak. FINE, perhaps I could get past this when it comes to Clay. He’s a man in his thirties and he’s a mafia boss. Maybe he’s more formal. But then you have Fawn, who is created to be an absolutely naive 18 year old girl- there is NO way in hell she would be speaking the way she does in this book. It’s not normal. It made reading the book difficult because it was so stilted and awkward, that it makes it difficult to understand or connect to these characters.
This awkward communication between them also adds to creating an uncomfortable dynamic for me, because Fawn is literally painted as extremely naive and vulnerable- she comes across as a child most of the time. So the intimacy and their relationship is a little uncomfortable for me with the age gap and the alpha male BS that we get with our male MC.
This whole book is really a major trauma dump. Hardcore trauma dump. It’s a lot of darkness. It was frustrating that Clay hid the truth of her assault from her, and it was difficult to see him positively for that. Even if he was just trying to “protect her.”
I find myself frustrated at some of what remains unfinished with this book:
1.) what is to happen with Fawn & her father? He reveals the tape to her and then the book promptly ends, which is a problem
2.) what’s going to happen to aurora and Lorna? We get zero resolution there
3.) What’s the deal with Clay, his family, and his rule? This is a standalone so it’s not like there’s a second book that will give us all these answers. It’s annoying to have so many unfinished bits missing from a book.
I also really hated Jasmine, and quite frankly did not understand the purpose of her character, her lies, or their subsequent makeup. It was useless to the plot.
I don’t think this is a very good book for these reasons. Unfinished storylines & stilted writing pose a problem, not even addressing the dynamic in their relationship and the awful pregnancy trauma we deal with in this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2022
To sum up this book in one line, I’d say it is a 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕.
This book has a lot of butterfly references, and I think that is the perfect representation of this book.
Start out as a caterpillar, you then spend weeks inside a cocoon where you grow and go through so much heartache. But in the end you are a beautiful butterfly.
Clay Butcher is a dominant man who was born and moulded to run the district. His life has not been about anything else.
When a little deer, Fawn Harlow, arrives on his front door step looking for her father. It’s as if she has just walked into the lions den.
Clay knows of Fawn’s father, could he use the little deer to get to her father?
Fawn’s life hasn’t been easy. She said come to Clay Butcher’s house, looking for Jimmy. She was told he knew her father. She is hoping her father can help her.
She just wants to belong in this world.
When she first meets Clay, she was captivated and compelled to do everything he said. His magnetic personality, charming looks and powerful stature command people to listen.
She looks up to him and can’t help the butterflies she feels inside.
Nicci’s writing style makes you feel every single word. She is very creative with how she explains the characters emotions, that personally, I have not seen before.
She truly engulfs you with the story and makes sure all you think about is the book.
I love that Nicci gets you thinking, and leaves little breadcrumbs throughout to keep you on the trail.
This book has a lot of butterfly references, and I think that is the perfect representation of this book.
Start out as a caterpillar, you then spend weeks inside a cocoon where you grow and go through so much heartache. But in the end you are a beautiful butterfly.
Clay Butcher is a dominant man who was born and moulded to run the district. His life has not been about anything else.
When a little deer, Fawn Harlow, arrives on his front door step looking for her father. It’s as if she has just walked into the lions den.
Clay knows of Fawn’s father, could he use the little deer to get to her father?
Fawn’s life hasn’t been easy. She said come to Clay Butcher’s house, looking for Jimmy. She was told he knew her father. She is hoping her father can help her.
She just wants to belong in this world.
When she first meets Clay, she was captivated and compelled to do everything he said. His magnetic personality, charming looks and powerful stature command people to listen.
She looks up to him and can’t help the butterflies she feels inside.
Nicci’s writing style makes you feel every single word. She is very creative with how she explains the characters emotions, that personally, I have not seen before.
She truly engulfs you with the story and makes sure all you think about is the book.
I love that Nicci gets you thinking, and leaves little breadcrumbs throughout to keep you on the trail.
December 7, 2022
🙶You're not my pretty little burden, Fawn." He lifts my chin. "You're my pretty little queen.🙷
🦋
Review for the duet (#4 & #5)
This is not just a BDSM with role-playing. Definitely not easy books.
The dynamic between Sir and little deer…
𝓓𝓐𝓡𝓚. 𝓓𝓔𝓔𝓟. 𝓑𝓛𝓤𝓔. 𝓘𝓝𝓣𝓔𝓝𝓢𝓔. 𝓢𝓔𝓝𝓢𝓤𝓐𝓛.
Clay
• Sir
• 35
• The Boss
Fawn
• little deer or sweet girl
• 19
• Orphan
• • Both have sleeping problem, both don’t know how to love, both are alone.
This duet was a slap to my face. It was hard to swallow I swear the lump in my throat is still there.
The thin line between cheesy eroticas and bdsm romances I always talk about? The longing stares, instinctive touches, small gestures, sweet teasings? This is the motherfucking amazing example.
Because of the circumstances they were always in bedroom, and can’t deny there is so many sex scene but if I ever complain about it… Every scene, every touch, every glace tells so much more than a word can.
𝐑𝐀𝐖. 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐋. 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓.
The thing is,,, Fawn is a mentally abused girl (and physically that she’s not aware), hungry for love n' attention, a people pleaser and has lots of issues…
And Clay fucking understands her better than herself or anyone else. Understands her needs, if it’s pleasure or pain, understands her submission, understands which words he has to say to her, knows how to calm her, knows how to make her understand everything she is capable of. The way he takes care of her, comforts her, makes her smile; claims her, claimed by her. She is never a pawn in his plan or a captive, basically a survivor and he does his best to protect her.
The D/s relationship they have is so natural, praising her or submitting to him never felt like kink.
This doesn’t mean the duet is not hot n’ spicy, it's like fucking hell itself.
Also Clay may seem a soft dominant man yet he has his own demons, fears and needs. Despite this fact, he always puts her first, even
He is so fucking dignified and calm and peaceful but when he unleashed everything he has, he is just vulnerable, lonely, afraid. He is a monster who worships his love.
Every time she teases him, 𝒶𝓌𝓌𝓌. Fawn may be a fragile n’ shy girl, but in her situation she still has her voice, her jealousy, her possession. The trust she has for him is something, an eye-watering thing.
The writing is dark. Everything is detailed; the gruesome of his vengeful kills, their abusive past, triggering scenes, and not just these but all gloomy inner thoughts.
He is married however there is no cheating or OW drama.
Here are the triggers in case:
I’m dying to read them out of bedroom. The times when they call each other by their own names r limited. The epilogue novella for the whole series “His Perfect Little Heirs” announced that will be out next year, I can’t wait to read it, especially for Clay & Fawn but also the others.
this kind of books fucking triggers me but still my remedies
xoxoxo
iko
quotes:
January 19, 2025
Oh my! What did I just read! It's not for the faint hearted as it has some really really disturbing scenes so please check trigger warnings before. I actually read it in one sitting, it was that captivating. And though it has some inaccuracies I pretended not to see them. Off to the second book.
September 10, 2022
Wow never thought I’d ever say this, but I gave this book a chance since it was on my for you page on tik tok and I’m actually not disappointed. First win for book tok after reading 60 books recommended from them.
March 8, 2023
4/5 🌟 4/5 🔥
"You're not my pretty little burden, Fawn." He lifts my chin. "You're my pretty little queen."
Wow, this was a breathtaking and SPICY book. My $mut $luts from my FB book club convinced me to read this and I'm so happy I did!
She is utterly soul commanding. I won't let her go. I'll keep her even if she hates me after what I do.
Fawn is on the search for her father. She was adopted and lived with her foster mom and foster brothers. Something bad happens and she gets kicked out. She winds up at Clay Butcher's house to hopefully find her father because she knew he was in the mafia and her dad was too. She's three months pregnant, uncertain about who the father is, and needs help.
Clay Butcher took one look at her and was OBSESSED. He promised to find her father and told her to stay with him and his WIFE. That part icked me like hell, he's married throughout the entire book but doesn't have a sexual relationship with his wife.
So, slowly they get used to living together and slowly start to trust each other. They get into a sexual relationship and it's FIREEEEE. Nearly burned my kindle up!
"Are you ready to take my cock?" I say into her mouth.
"Yes..." She moans, husky and airless.
"Good girl. Only breathe my breath, sweet girl. Nothing enters this body tonight unless it comes from me."
There's lots of different things happening in the background- mafia business, the search for Fawn's father, and also... finding the video tape of the night she got pregnant. Her foster brothers recorded the whole thing.
There's murder, torture, and SPICE.
A rough groan escapes me as I sink into her, and she arches and curves her spine on a cry, taking me to my balls like the good girl I know she is for me. A young girl I should have never touched, but even God wouldn't dare take her from me now.
I'm excited to read the next book in the series. Daddy Clay is alpha, jealous/possessive, and my new book boyfriend. I licked him first.
SAFETY:
Age: 18h, 35H
OM/OW drama: lots of both!
Virgin/celibate: virgin heroine, manwhore hero
Kinks: spanking, praise, hand necklace, cockwarming, exhibitionism, period/blood play, anal, sex toys
Tropes: age gap, mafia, forbidden
Triggers: hero is married (no sexual relations though), pregnancy, miscarriage, torture, murder, detailed rape, drug use, PTSD, and a detailed BJ scene with OW before they get together.
HEA?: HFN, continues in next book
My bookshelves may contain spoilers.
"You're not my pretty little burden, Fawn." He lifts my chin. "You're my pretty little queen."
Wow, this was a breathtaking and SPICY book. My $mut $luts from my FB book club convinced me to read this and I'm so happy I did!
She is utterly soul commanding. I won't let her go. I'll keep her even if she hates me after what I do.
Fawn is on the search for her father. She was adopted and lived with her foster mom and foster brothers. Something bad happens and she gets kicked out. She winds up at Clay Butcher's house to hopefully find her father because she knew he was in the mafia and her dad was too. She's three months pregnant, uncertain about who the father is, and needs help.
Clay Butcher took one look at her and was OBSESSED. He promised to find her father and told her to stay with him and his WIFE. That part icked me like hell, he's married throughout the entire book but doesn't have a sexual relationship with his wife.
So, slowly they get used to living together and slowly start to trust each other. They get into a sexual relationship and it's FIREEEEE. Nearly burned my kindle up!
"Are you ready to take my cock?" I say into her mouth.
"Yes..." She moans, husky and airless.
"Good girl. Only breathe my breath, sweet girl. Nothing enters this body tonight unless it comes from me."
There's lots of different things happening in the background- mafia business, the search for Fawn's father, and also... finding the video tape of the night she got pregnant. Her foster brothers recorded the whole thing.
There's murder, torture, and SPICE.
A rough groan escapes me as I sink into her, and she arches and curves her spine on a cry, taking me to my balls like the good girl I know she is for me. A young girl I should have never touched, but even God wouldn't dare take her from me now.
I'm excited to read the next book in the series. Daddy Clay is alpha, jealous/possessive, and my new book boyfriend. I licked him first.
SAFETY:
Age: 18h, 35H
OM/OW drama: lots of both!
Virgin/celibate: virgin heroine, manwhore hero
Kinks: spanking, praise, hand necklace, cockwarming, exhibitionism, period/blood play, anal, sex toys
Tropes: age gap, mafia, forbidden
Triggers: hero is married (no sexual relations though), pregnancy, miscarriage, torture, murder, detailed rape, drug use, PTSD, and a detailed BJ scene with OW before they get together.
HEA?: HFN, continues in next book
My bookshelves may contain spoilers.
December 13, 2022
I’m currently more than half way through
It’s a tough read at times. But wow. I love this book
There’s still quite a bit to untangle here. But I like it so much I had to stop drop and make a comment like it’s hot.
Clay. Sir. Daddy. This guy. Yep. Totally the alpha we needed and she Defn needed
Those boys man. Those horrible boys. Wow. Benji. I thought he was a good one. Ugh. And how clay made it better.
Madonna Mia…….ThTs what I have to say. Madonna Mia.
It’s a tough read at times. But wow. I love this book
There’s still quite a bit to untangle here. But I like it so much I had to stop drop and make a comment like it’s hot.
Clay. Sir. Daddy. This guy. Yep. Totally the alpha we needed and she Defn needed
Those boys man. Those horrible boys. Wow. Benji. I thought he was a good one. Ugh. And how clay made it better.
Madonna Mia…….ThTs what I have to say. Madonna Mia.
April 25, 2022
This book is beautifully written, I LOVED IT!!!! TRIGGER WARNINGS, Please read them! This book is dark and not for the faint of heart. The realistic glimpse into the darkness of the foster system seems universal, the book is set in Australia but could just as easily be in the US, UK, anywhere in the world. I LOVE the raw and unapologetic re/telling of Fawn's story. We really get a sense of who Clay Butcher is in this book and the realationship between him and Fawn is perfection. His character evolution as she wiggles into his daily life is sooo... Clay, (stoic, quiet, controlled, dangerous.) This is probably my favorite book just becuase of the dark realities in the pages. Fawn's unwillingness to give up and survive life and Clay's unwillingness to let her JUST survive...*chef's kiss*
July 14, 2022
Eagerly waiting for the next book
September 1, 2023
dnf @ ch. 32 😩 the dialogue was so fucking cringe, I couldn’t take it anymore
May 10, 2022
How do I describe this?
Fucking Brilliant, that's how.
The push and pull of Clay and Fawn was INCREDIBLE. The fact that the overaching storyline that runs through the kids of the district series gets taken up a notch is something magnificent.
While this is an age gap romance, with Clay clearly being the dominant of the two, Fawn is not without her sass, pushing the Mafia Don in ways that he hasn't yet been pushed.
I loved that Fawn came with her own trauma. Nicci has this way of writing characters that are so emotionally damaged, and yet that damage becomes their strength. I cannot wait to see Fawn level up in the next book.
Clay is everything that you'd expect a Don to be - but he does this to protect his family - his brothers, and even then, he is removed from them in a way that you don't truly understand until you read this book.
I was so happy to see more of Xander, and I'm deathly excited to get to know him better.
And of course we saw Max and Cassidy, Bron and Shosh.
Nicci knocked it out of the park, but honestly - did we expect anything else?
Fucking Brilliant, that's how.
The push and pull of Clay and Fawn was INCREDIBLE. The fact that the overaching storyline that runs through the kids of the district series gets taken up a notch is something magnificent.
While this is an age gap romance, with Clay clearly being the dominant of the two, Fawn is not without her sass, pushing the Mafia Don in ways that he hasn't yet been pushed.
I loved that Fawn came with her own trauma. Nicci has this way of writing characters that are so emotionally damaged, and yet that damage becomes their strength. I cannot wait to see Fawn level up in the next book.
Clay is everything that you'd expect a Don to be - but he does this to protect his family - his brothers, and even then, he is removed from them in a way that you don't truly understand until you read this book.
I was so happy to see more of Xander, and I'm deathly excited to get to know him better.
And of course we saw Max and Cassidy, Bron and Shosh.
Nicci knocked it out of the park, but honestly - did we expect anything else?
September 7, 2023
Here. We. MF. Go. I don’t even know where to begin. I need to break this down like a fucking AP Lit essay. Nothing, and when I say NOTHING, in the synopsis of this book could’ve prepared me for what was inside—I MEAN IT. Every time a new plot point was opened it was like getting hit with a fastball thrown by Derek Jeter himself. First, we need to address Fawn. This poor bitch. Her relationship with Clay was like a DSM-5 definition of Stockholm syndrome. Saying “I love you” after TWO WEEKS OF KNOWING HIM???? HI!!! She is so traumatized and the worst part is that she doesn’t even know it!!!!!!! Clay withheld information from her that she was SA’ d VIOLENTLY and yet proceeded to take advantage of her so aggressively and forced her to enjoy his weird ass kinks like… TF???? I don’t know if I’m the problem and that dark romance just isn’t for me, but this entire book made me wanna vomit. Between their SEVENTEEN YEAR age gap (she is 18 and he is 35), the horrific details regarding Fawn’s traumas, the fucking WRITING.. I literally don’t know how I finished this book. I think I just could not believe what I was reading and needed to know what happened next. Like It couldn’t possibly get worse. AND YET SOMEHOW IT ALWAYS DID! This was not just a dumpster fire, but a flaming landfill of awkward phrasing, sentences that make no sense, and characters who have zero significance. I understand that this book is a part of a broader series about the other Butcher brothers, but it felt like their names were just thrown around to meet a word count quota. Speaking of Butchers— Clay is, with certainty, the worst MMC I have ever read about. I hate him. I want him to get blown up. He is the definition of “don’t cry you’re so sexy.. aha.” Fawn would be bawling and then I SHIT YOU NOT the next minute he’s like “would it make you feel better to s*ck my d*ck?” AND THEN SHE DOES IT. AS IF IT IS SOME MIRACULOUS CURE-ALL. LIKE TYLENOL. ACETAMINOPHEN IF YOU WILL. SOMETIMES EVEN MELATONIN. I CANNOT MAKE THIS SHIT UP. HOW IS THIS A REAL BOOK. And possibly the best part of this entire shit show is the fact that he is the MAYOR of this fictional town. THE MAYOR. A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL. He said town council meeting to discuss parking meter fees by day, traumatize a barely legal teenage girl by night! And don’t forget he’s in the mafia! Because of COURSE he’s in the mafia. I will never read a book from an out of context quote in an instagram reel EVER AGAIN. I am tired of this. I am tired of being told to read these allegedly AMAZING books and then being so viscerally disgusted by them. I can’t even believe the universe gave me the strength to finish this entire book. I don’t know how I did it. I am done with dark romances this year. DONE. KEEP ME AWAY FROM THE CLAY BUTCHERS AND ZADE MEADOWS OF THE WORLD. It is sweet rom coms and fantasy from this point forward ONLY. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. I need to go take a nap.
December 8, 2025
Bad, but not that bad? But still bad
I found this book through a rec. A person asked about period care (which is something I never realized I wanted), and I've been reading through them little by little. (I like the idea of a hero caring deep enough to overcome that which at best men pretend doesn't exist and at worst don't believe it exists...)
➳ That part, however, was so minimal, I barely registered it. Too bad 😕
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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I found this book through a rec. A person asked about period care (which is something I never realized I wanted), and I've been reading through them little by little. (I like the idea of a hero caring deep enough to overcome that which at best men pretend doesn't exist and at worst don't believe it exists...)
➳ That part, however, was so minimal, I barely registered it. Too bad 😕
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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August 11, 2022
I didn't like this book.
Hero is married. He and his wife share women. Heroine is an 18 year old pregnant woman and she is not sure who the father is. She grew up in foster care.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Hero wants to use her baby (which is a boy) to bait her relative into the open so hero can kill that guy. Heroine doesn't know this, she wants to give up her baby for adoption to her relative since she doesn't think she can raise the baby as an 18 year old.
The book has many detailed and graphic scenes of him with other women.
I didn't like the hero or the heroine.
Hero is married. He and his wife share women. Heroine is an 18 year old pregnant woman and she is not sure who the father is. She grew up in foster care.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Hero wants to use her baby (which is a boy) to bait her relative into the open so hero can kill that guy. Heroine doesn't know this, she wants to give up her baby for adoption to her relative since she doesn't think she can raise the baby as an 18 year old.
The book has many detailed and graphic scenes of him with other women.
I didn't like the hero or the heroine.
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