The Devils' Darling

Verona Falls University #3

by Marissa Farrar, S.R. Jones

They’ve stolen the Devils’ Darling…I’ve been taken by an enemy I cannot name. Locked in a cage in the dark, held captive without the medication I need to survive. Cold. Alone. Afraid. The tentative truce I had forged with the Devils has been torn apart. I’ve been ripped from my home and am now at the mercy of a madman. I thought I had seen the worst that could happen, but now I realize how naïve I’ve been. There’s far worse out there than the men of Verona Falls. These are men who believe they can take whatever they want at any cost. My only hope is that the men who were my undoing can become my saviors.

Genres: Reverse Harem, Dark Romance, Romance, Dark, Why Choose, Contemporary, College

373 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 11, 2024

About the author

Marissa Farrar is a multi-published romance and fantasy author. She was born in Devon, England, loves to travel and has lived in both Australia and Spain. She now resides in the countryside with her husband, three children, a crazy Spanish dog, two rescue cats and six hens. She has a degree in Zoology, but her true love has always been writing.

Marissa is the author of sixteen novels, including the dark vampire ‘Serenity’ series. Her short stories have been accepted for a number of anthologies including, Their Dark Masters, Red Skies Press, Masters of Horror: Damned If You Don’t, Triskaideka Books; and 2013: The Aftermath, Pill Hill Press.

If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.
She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at marissafarrar@hotmail.co.uk.

Reviews

[Amarachi Okorie · Rating 1 out of 5]

yawn

[Lammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

I really can’t recommend this series enough. All 3 books kept up the momentum and getting 2 epilogues was the bomb.

Thank you to these authors for the model covers. They were beautiful and especially with RH books I like the visual to what the characters look like.

I can’t wait for the vipers 🫶🏻

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

spoilers***************

Mackenzie has been taken by Grigoriy, Kirill’s father. He wants Kirill to come and impregnate her and marry her, but threatens that he will if his son doesn’t. Kirill shows up and his father throws him in the cage with Kenzie. She’s been collared and chained to the cage. Grigoriy forces Kirill and Mackenzie to sleep together after cutting out her birth control, all the while his men watch on and “finish” on her. Meanwhile, Tino and Dom figure out who has taken her when Kirill goes missing. Tino gets men from his father’s compound to come and help them rescue who Tino claims to be his future wife. They show up as Grigoriy is forcing a priest to marry Kirill and Mackenzie, but they don’t get to finish as a shoot out takes place. Mackenzie shoots and kills Grigoriy after he knocked out Kirill by breaking his nose. Igor and Vadim the other two assistants of Grigoriy were killed as well. Kirill went into a slump after what he was forced to do to Mackenzie, but eventually she convinced him he did nothing wrong. Paxton is still looking for her and eventually finds her and blows up the kitchen area of the school to get to her. He takes her, but Kirill shows up, then Tino and lastly Dom and they get her away from him and then Dom kills Paxton. Unfortunately, when she goes back to the kitchen she finds her mother dead. Weeks later she’s still distraught and Tino is slowly becoming addicted again to pain pills that were prescribed during the blast. However, Kirill told them it was Dom’s birthday and she wanted to do something for him. While, she was in the bathroom she realized it had been a month and no period. She went to Tino because she trusted him to help her through whatever the tests said. She was pregnant. She told Dom and Kirill at Doms party and they were all happy.

[Sierra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda disappointed. Finished it in less than 2 hours. And it was kinda rushed. Kidnapped? 2 chapters boom saved. Couple chapters later oh no kidnapped again, lasted 2 seconds boom saved. Literally same chapter mom died, depressive state.. “a month later” pregnant and everyone lives happily ever after. I waited for this to come out with high hopes on how book 2 ended and now im disappointed lol.

[Zen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was more and more over this series as time went on.

[Rachel Santillan]

I accidentally fell into this series. I thought I was downloading a Halloween-themed book with book one, and pretty quickly I was like… what the hell did I just open? 😳 Bully romances are not my thing, and “why choose” usually isn’t either, especially when every guy is a total asshole to the heroine at the start. But somehow, I kept reading. I skimmed past the parts that weren’t for me, but I still got enough of the story to follow along.

By the end of the triology, I could see why the why choose was Important here, but still not my thing. I ended up somewhat liking all the characters but not enough to continue with The Vipers.

I don’t feel right rating it because it’s so far outside what I normally enjoy, even within the darker genre. I wouldn’t read it again, but the Devil’s trilogy pulled me through just because the chaos kept escalating and I wanted to see how it all played out.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book lost it a bit for me. Doms foot fetish came out of nowhere was was not for me! Hilarious when Doms dad caught them though! Doms dad also redeems himself in this book which was nice. Alot of trauma in this one for Mckenzie but a good ending really for the series. Started string but didnt keep up that 5* feel

[Mandy Robitaille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously loved this series. The cliffhangers were just enough to keep me o the edge/invested. I loved the guys, and I just love how things ended/wrapped up.

The bonus epilogues were perfect too.

So excited to dive into the Vipers next !

[Misty Schott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard fought for HEA!

This is book three of the Verona Falls University series and wraps up the story of Mackenkie, Valentino, Kirill, and Domenic. These four have been through a lot and its not without consequences that they get their HEA!

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Devils' Darling

Third book in the Verona Falls University series. It's dark but really good and ends thr Duchess and Devils story with a happy ever after albeit pretty twisted.

[Tanai ❾¾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly thought about DNFing this last book, several times. It was crammed full of tropes I’m not particularly interested in, and just seemed to go off the rails with the drama.

And between the drama was all the sex. Too much of it, if you ask me. The series started out interesting but spiraled into a bunch of cliches. Frankly, it was boring.

Too much happens in such a small amount of time. And after just a few months of hate/lust relationships, the FMC is all in, completely in love with the guys, and they are all hopelessly devoted and in love with her. I’m not really big on the insta-love, and I thought Dom would hold out a little longer. But nope. Maybe I’m getting weary of this kind of book. I’m not really impressed with barely twentysomethings insta-loving and having no money worries.

I did like that the main characters had flaws, but I really never grew attached to any of them. Mackenzie just annoyed me.

I see that this last book got many high reviews, but it just fell flat for me. At least I finished, though!

[Meagan Grauel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book in the series was the darkest yet, with some pretty fucked up things happening to Mackenzie & Kirill. It was a decent conclusion, in that all loose ends were somehow tied up. But for a series that spanned three books and took up a lot of space for a lot of other things, it felt a little rushed and slapped together to get to that conclusion. The sex scenes remain off the charts and I would say are a solid 4/5, even if they are pretty damned depraved. This was definitely better than the previous book in the series, because all the guys seem to get their shit together at least a little better, or at least are willing to admit their faults more openly. The author in this book allows them to be actual 20 year-olds and mess up, which is more accurate to real life than other books where the guys all seem to be emotionally mature and self aware. Dom, Tino, and Kirill seem to be bumbling through life and mess up - often. It was pretty refreshing, even if it was frustrating at times. Definitely worth the read to see how things end up for this quad, and make sure you read the "Duchess's Revenge" at the end of this book and then download the epilogue. The Duchess's Revenge is just an elongated sex scene and absolutely worth it.
Big spoiler, but I know that it's some people's least favorite trope, and I feel like you should be warned. There is an unexpected pregnancy towards the end of this book. Although, I'm not sure how "unexpected" it is since they pump her full of cum every other scene and she's no longer on birth control.

I was right!! Kirill's dad, Grigoriy, was the one to kidnap Mackenzie! Totally called it after the end of the second book. Still don't know how they didn't put it together faster that he was the one to take her. Some really fucked up shit happens to Mackenzie and then Kirill while kidnapped at the cabin. Neither one of them attend therapy following said traumatic events and Kirill goes around thinking he's a weak piece of crap for how he reacted being held in a dark room. Ya know, because his other trauma is unresolved. This is one of those endings that feels slapped together. Mackenzie and Kirill have one conversation about how he treated her in the basement and how he reacted to being in the dark and then there was no mention of it ever again. They both need a ton of counseling after that! It's also casually mentioned in the bonus chapter and the rest of the book that "Kirill can't be alone." Seriously ... how is him still being terrified of his past and the dark a resolution?

I feel like Nataniele and Lucia wouldn't have been so quick to just let them have their quad relationship after just a couple of conversations about it. They were both vehemently opposed to the relationship, but after Mackenzie and the guys kind of stomp their feet a couple of times, both parents kind of go, "okay! If that's what you want I guess." I won't be happy about it, but it is what it is. Since it's mafia college, I kind of feel like there would have been more repercussions.

Another kind of scotch taped together ending was Tino's pill/alcohol abuse. He was supposed to be taking routine drug tests and had all these tools he was supposedly using. And was the only one seeing a counselor to discuss his trauma. All healthy things to help him on his road to recovery. But then he relapses and starts taking pills again. But it isn't caught because the drug tests have weirdly stopped? And to resolve that in the book, Mackenzie gets pregnant and just stops? I feel like it should have been caught prior to him stopping on his own. I realize that he was on pain killers for his skull fracture, but there was a period of time where he was taking oxy again and he wasn't taking drug tests during that time. Seemed like an overly convenient way to fix him on the straight and narrow again.

When the guys kind of go silent after Mackenzie tells them she's pregnant and then surprise her with an open declaration of love, I thought it was odd. It really just served to embarrass her and didn't really seem like all that grand of a declaration in my honest opinion. I suppose it was their way of publicly claiming her and that they weren't ashamed of their polyamorous relationship, but it felt like a weird way to do it. It really isn't anyone else's business what their relationship is and since it just caused Mackenzie stress about how people would see her, I feel like there were other ways to go about it. And just because you publicly declare her yours and that you're in a poly relationship, doesn't mean that everyone is going to immediately accept it or care to understand. One of those other loose ends that felt slapped together just to tie it up in a bow.

I love that this author gives us an extra sex scene with all of the guys in "The Duchess's Revenge." They essentially role play with Mackenzie being the dominating persona with each guy. Dom gets walked all over while she's wearing heels and cums without even being touched. Kirill gets pegged and honestly, this was what I was looking forward to the most! He had talked several times about wanting Mackenzie to do that to him, and when the book ended and we hadn't gotten that scene, I was so irritated. But since it was in this bonus scene, I can't complain! Tino gets tied up, is made to watch the others get off, and degraded just a little and then Mackenzie takes his picture while he's compromised. Honestly, the whole thing was hot and I'm always here for an extended sex scene. I also love that the author gives us a glimpse into the future with the downloadable epilogue. It's my favorite thing when I get to see how they're all doing!

Definitely a good read for any dark romance lover. Not the ending I was expecting, but it was pretty decent overall. The plot was almost too much. So much happens to the characters, it was overwhelming at times. They never seem to catch a break and go through one traumatic event after the other; its a lot! But it keeps you on your toes the entire time and I was never bored reading this series.

[The Bodacious Bibliophile · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was honestly one of the weirdest and most creepy and icky and botched and cringe book and series I’ve ever read. And that says a lot because I’ve read thousands of books.
And none of it was in a hot botched way just in a creepy way. Honestly honestly, there was nothing good about this book or series it was just bizarre.

[AMG · Rating 1 out of 5]

RH MMM/Academy/Dark Kink/Multi PoV

SYNOPSIS (of Trilogy): The series opens with the FC thinking she has killed her professer lover and she and her mother fleeing to Verona Falls Academy to hide and where her mother has agreed to marry the dean. The Academy is a school for the children of powerful criminals. The MCs are the “devils” and at the top of the academy hierarchy. The trilogy covers the FC’s relationship with the MCs as they bully her, fall for her and make her theirs amid a backdrop of kidnapping and stalker threats.

Personally I found this trilogy badly written and edited and the content just nasty. Not sexy or hot just twisted, sick and nasty. (Prepare for a bit of a rant) What is wrong with authors, especially female authors? This is not a romance by any stretch. This is basically bad kinky porn with a very basic bit of story joining the sex scenes together. There’s no character development or depth and the characters are all one dimensional. They’re all “broken and damaged” because, of course they are. Apart from possibly Kirill, there is no real reason for any of them to act the way they do. But then, these authors aren’t interested in actually writing a story or a romance, they just want to write porn.

The kink is just grim with the MCs treating the FC like a toy (and not in a hot way) and doing what they want with and to her. Pretty much anything goes from using foreign objects to others watching to getting off while kidnapped and watched by the kidnappers. Of course the FC laps this bad treatment up because, again, apparently this is how authors show empowerment in women.

I genuinely shudder at the fact that young women will read this kind of thing and actually think that this is normal or something to which they should aspire as opposed to being treated with respect and being strong.

In summary, don’t read this, don’t support authors who write this kind of anti feminist trash.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️ Wow, this book, this series, is just wow. What a rollercoaster! There is always something going on, and they are always growing. I just love it. I really enjoyed these books. The first and third are definitely the better ones, with the first being such a strong start. It was dark, it was action-packed, it was sexy, and it was sweet. There was something for everyone, and I loved it!


This book showed so much growth from the boys. They were so sweet and loving at times, and the baby was just such a nice way to finish off the book. I am so happy they got their HEA. They all went through so much and had their own struggles, but with the help of each other, they got through it.

Kenzie is also such a badass. I especially loved her taking control in her little “revenge” story; that was hot; but also delivering the final blow to one of the villains in this 😙👌. She also doesn’t let the boys have all the power all the time, and I really liked that. She’s a great FMC.

These books were quite well written, and the little bonus epilogues were a nice touch.
Looking forward to reading the Vipers’s story!

[Roxanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me so long to read this because I considered DNF-ing a few times. The plot lines just kind of went haywire with the kidnapping and how they handled it immediately after. I just don’t think that Mackenzie would have fallen into a state of such unbridled lust within a day of the trauma she endured. But then right on the heels of that is the next kidnapping. That was t even fleshed out very well. The professor just happens to be able to drive in and bomb a college that is run by mafia families? It felt really rushed at the end but the nail in the coffin for me was the pregnancy. Not knowing who was the father was one thing, living with all 3 men with them raising the baby was hard to suspend my disbelief for (what are they telling the kid when he/she is old enough to understand ??) but having Natanielle blindly accept all of it after building his character with the complete opposite personality was wholly unbelievable .

I generally love a good RH/bully series but this one fell short especially at the end .

[Asterope · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did a lot of skimming. There was more plot than say book 2, but since I was not that into the trilogy, I mostly wanted to read the last book to finish the sub-series. Lots of sex, which I skipped. Honestly, once you read a few with this group, you sort of read them all.🤷‍♀️ I did like there was more of an emotional connection shown between the trio and the heroine, as the first two books were pretty superficially about sex (and obsession?). Glad they all have a HEA and the Paxton thing is tied up. Sucks about her mom though. I wonder if that was done so her and Dom weren't step-siblings? I thought it was pretty weird and funny when Nataniele was saying Mackenzie and Dom being together was sick. Yeah, okay mobster who does terrible things. I think two people who are not blood related, were not raised together and only met when they were in their 20s (few months ago) is not scandalous or disgusting. Anyway, reviews for the next book look better, but since it starts another trilogy sub-series, I am going to take a break and maybe come back to it.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books were fun. Five out of five spice. But there was plot. I would not like the book or rather books if there was no plot.

I of course have a few problems with the three books following the devils. But honestly, I read these kind of as a palette cleanser. I did not expect to care for these characters as much as I do.

So it does make me a little sad that the devil's ark of this series is done. Especially because I'm not too sure that I want to read the vipers. I'm going to give him a shot and hopefully I'll like them. But what really drew me in to this it's Arc (of the devils), was The chronic illness representation. And I am unaware of if the vipers has that same rep.

I mean this book has a lot of representation. And content warnings. I was impressed by the representation in this book. Especially for mental illness but also for chronic illnesses and pain.


So yeah there are problems but I will overlook them because honestly it was just a good time.

[(っ◔◡◔)っ ★ Paige ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ★★★

I'm glad they finished the devils part of the series here, as much as I was greatly invested into the dynamic between the characters.

It felt a little rushed, like they were trying to cram all the remaining plot planned between the countless chapters of them fucking.
Felt weird after she was kidnapped and ... her mum was borderline murdered for Dom to comment on how he's had to have a wank since she's too sad to get naked and degraded for them?

I really wish they gave Camille more personality and deepened the relationship between her and Mack if they were going to introduce a 'best friend' trope.

Nice ending though, I'm glad his dad came around and was supportive; hopefully they'll still make appearances throughout the rest of the books, I've installed number 4 on my kindle already but I just don't care enough about the vipers enough to rush straight to them.

[Merilu Keenum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Their Duchess and her heart full to the brim!

I’m so sad Mackenzie, Dom, Toni, and Kirill’s story is concluded! It’s been a wild ride- in more ways than one- and they have cemented themselves into my psyche and heart! Mack conquers every obstacle, every villain, and her men appreciate her strength more and more. These men who have their own struggles come through for her- whether it’s guns blazing, knife stabbing, or giving her an O fest- their commitment is amazing! There are sad moments, tragic moments, ones that tear your heart apart, but the love they feel and show is truly beautiful! The bonus chapters are so special: letting us see what their relationship looks like in the future.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Catlou · Rating 5 out of 5]

4++ Stars ⭐⭐⭐✨ THE DEVILS' DARLING takes you on quite a ride. The emotions start very dark and intense and that level is maintained throughout the book. Mackenzie faces her demons in this story, both unexpected and expected, but the Devils are there to lay everything on the line to keep her. But they have their own demons to face, providing challenges that may be too hard to overcome. The edge-of-your-seat drama will have you feeling so much for these characters and all they go through because there’s tragedy in this tale that will twist your heart. But out of despair comes a kernel of hope and joy for a brighter future with an ending that will leave a smile on your face and excitement in your heart for what’s next in store for Verona Falls University.

[Jill Haworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finally getting all of her guys on the same page and their relationship solidified, at the end of book two the cliffhanger was a doozy. Mackenzie was kidnapped.
They immediately presumed the threat of her ex, her professor, but unbeknown to them another threat to Mackenzie had appeared.
All Mackenzie knew when she woke up was that she was in a cage being fed dog food….
This was the finale and boy was the anti upped.
The guys were desperate to get Mackenzie back safely. Mackenzie was terrified with good reason. Then just as you thought everything was going to be ok, they had parental interference when they were honest about their relationship and then another threat blew everything up.
This was a superb ending to an excellent series.

[chesirern · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Devils' Darling (Book 3 of Verona Falls University)by Marissa Farrar and SR Jones is a college dark romance novel. The end and what a ride this trilogy has been I loved Kirill, Toni, Dom and Mackenzie‘s tale.
This book was amazing. There were a lot of twists and turns throughout. I admit I wanted to rage at all of them a few times. Emotions ran high and the love was almost palpable. The chemistry was saucy and spicy. Literally this was a book I could not put down. The epilogue was one of my favorite parts.
I was sad to the series end but excited to see what else is in store for us in the future.

[Abby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh this was truly horrendous. I mean the first two weren’t amazing, but they were fun & easy reads. This was a train wreck.

There is zero character development, the idea that any of these people care about each other is laughable, the four MCs are running around like young teens while constantly telling us they’re in their twenties, “they’re adults” 🥴

It was just bad sex scene after bad sex scene, mixed in with a caricature version of a mafia plot. I mean the FMCs mum dies and the love of her life finds it hard to comfort her because he’s not getting any?!! THIS IS NOT ROMANCE! That’s not even dark romance, that’s just gross.

[BreAnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jumped straight into this book because of the cliffhanger. Damn they did some messed up stuff in that basement and she was just FINE afterwards!? Wtf?? She’s over here having DVP and K was struggling with his mental health. That didn’t hit quite right.

Her mother dying was actually pretty sad, I was hoping for them to work out their relationship, however I was so glad D’s dad came around!

Pregnancy was dumb IMO. Risking your life (and babies life) because you don’t feel like getting back on BC? Not sure what the thought was there.

That epilogue though!!!! That entire thing will live rent free in my head for a long time!🔥❤️

[T.M. Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Devils' Darling (Verona Falls University Book 3)
by: Marissa Farrar, S.R. Jones
My Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Tammy - Book Nook Nuts

The final book for our Devil's Darling, and she has been taken...
By Who? and Why?

Dom, Kirill, and Valentino won't lose her but will they find her in time?

Hang on for one deliciously dark, twisted, EXPLOSIVE ending.
And bring your box of tissues too.

I am never disappointed by these two authors. They always know how to weave a wickedly dark, delicious story.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I absolutely love the devils! There is a lot that happens in this last book. But it was definitely worth the wait. It will keep you completely invested. So much nothing in the real world will hold your attention. There are twists and turns. And lots of unexpected scenarios. That you won’t be expecting. There is an unexpected loss. But then there is a new hope for everyone. With all of the guys trying to overcome their own demons to be better for Mackenzie. What a great finish for the Devils and Mac!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

MacKenzie, Dom, Tino, and Kiril's steamy journey of love concludes in book three of the Verona Falls University trilogy. This book picks up where book two left off and the steam doesn't stop until the final page. I recommend you start this series from book one so you get their full journey of love. If you trigger easily this series may not be for you but if you love dark romance with unexpected twists then grab this series and hold on it's going to be a fun and dirty ride. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Shannon - a.court.of.fantasies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ending to the devils’ story!

Solid 4.5 ⭐️ & 5/5 🌶️

This series has been a gradual build up in tension and action but this book really set itself apart from the rest. SO much happened I was never able to get bored or put my kindle down, some of it was a bit predictable but other moments were a shock too! If you like darker romance then this book has it all for you but still has such a happy ending! Definitely check out the bonus epilogue you can get through the mailing list sign up, it’s nothing crazy but just another fun schmexy scene

[Lyritza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for the series

As far as bully romances in a college setting go, this series is pretty much exactly as you'd expect. And while the villains were predictable, some plot points were definitely not predictable.
The only things that bothered me were some phrases that the authors used, the fmc's character and the romance development. I didn't really feel the love. The fmc was annoying sometimes with her insecurities far into the story and wishy-washy personality. Also, I ended up skimming through a couple of sex scenes because it was a bit much.