What do you think?
Project Titan #1
Defect
"I don't have a say in how this starts. But I decide how it will end."
Seven Hills is a thriving city on the edge of a dying world struggling to survive as the Wastes around it creep in. The mayor's solution to save their home? Kill an entire district’s worth of people. And it's up to Lottie Merchant, the mayor’s deadly right hand, to see it through.
Except Lottie is doing no such thing, her boss's orders be damned. Unfortunately for her, the only way to stop the massacre is from within. That means playing nice with the Hounds, the city's elite security force, and their commander, her ex, Gabriel, who are supposed to help her execute the plan. But when they expose her to new, secret technology that changes her in terrifying ways, everything unravels as horrible secrets from within the force come to light and put a target on Lottie’s back. In order to save the city, she’s going to have to figure out how to save herself first, assuming Gabriel doesn't kill her in the process.
Project Titan: Defect is a spicy, fast-paced, romantic dystopian thriller that explores how far down the wrong path complacency can take us and what it will take to correct it. Perfect for grown fans of Divergent looking to explore the adult side of dystopian fiction!
Seven Hills is a thriving city on the edge of a dying world struggling to survive as the Wastes around it creep in. The mayor's solution to save their home? Kill an entire district’s worth of people. And it's up to Lottie Merchant, the mayor’s deadly right hand, to see it through.
Except Lottie is doing no such thing, her boss's orders be damned. Unfortunately for her, the only way to stop the massacre is from within. That means playing nice with the Hounds, the city's elite security force, and their commander, her ex, Gabriel, who are supposed to help her execute the plan. But when they expose her to new, secret technology that changes her in terrifying ways, everything unravels as horrible secrets from within the force come to light and put a target on Lottie’s back. In order to save the city, she’s going to have to figure out how to save herself first, assuming Gabriel doesn't kill her in the process.
Project Titan: Defect is a spicy, fast-paced, romantic dystopian thriller that explores how far down the wrong path complacency can take us and what it will take to correct it. Perfect for grown fans of Divergent looking to explore the adult side of dystopian fiction!
379 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 13, 2025
About the author
Rian Adara
4 books26 followersRian Adara is a multi-genre author who has a deep love of morally gray (or black) characters, writing with a hint (or a lot) of darkness, and varying levels of spice. She enjoys destroying her readers with her words and riling them up at the same time. And may or may not derive joy from creeping them out, too.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 8, 2026
i never really know how to write a review about a book that leaves me feeling so conflicted. project titan defect on paper hit all the marks for me but something was missing. the first 50 pages of the book were unbelievably rough to get through, but as i kept reading i found i was kind of addicted?? enjoying this book felt like the equivalent of enjoying reality tv
i wasn’t the biggest fan of the main character lottie at first but by the end of the book i found her absolutely fearless. i felt like there was great character development throughout the novel as we watch her care about more about life than just doing drugs and having sex. unfortunately my favorite character was a man 😔 but gabriel i KNEW i fucked with you for a reason. the side characters in this were really great for the most part!! though i think we could have skipped jaxon as such a big part of the plot and skipped kai completely.
i’m a little bit confused on how like absolutely nothing happened WITHIN the plot but the book kept advancing? i was really kind of just there for the vibes and once again, i’m lowkey hooked. i hope to see more stuff actually go down with the rebels in book two and also get a bigger look at the mission. it was good and i look forward to the second one, but still feeling a little lost about my overall opinions on it
someone said this is like divergent for adults but smuttier and i DO have to agree with them. i think any reader who enjoys that genre would enjoy this, though i don’t think this is a book i could just recommend to anyone. it’s an acquired taste for sure
i wasn’t the biggest fan of the main character lottie at first but by the end of the book i found her absolutely fearless. i felt like there was great character development throughout the novel as we watch her care about more about life than just doing drugs and having sex. unfortunately my favorite character was a man 😔 but gabriel i KNEW i fucked with you for a reason. the side characters in this were really great for the most part!! though i think we could have skipped jaxon as such a big part of the plot and skipped kai completely.
i’m a little bit confused on how like absolutely nothing happened WITHIN the plot but the book kept advancing? i was really kind of just there for the vibes and once again, i’m lowkey hooked. i hope to see more stuff actually go down with the rebels in book two and also get a bigger look at the mission. it was good and i look forward to the second one, but still feeling a little lost about my overall opinions on it
someone said this is like divergent for adults but smuttier and i DO have to agree with them. i think any reader who enjoys that genre would enjoy this, though i don’t think this is a book i could just recommend to anyone. it’s an acquired taste for sure
August 13, 2025
It's difficult to write a review about a book that hits all the notes. A review doesn't seem to do it justice, but I'll do my best.
Project Titan: Defect by Rian Adara filled a niche void I didn't know I needed. If you're someone who enjoys dystopia/utopia, strong characters who aren't completely shut off to their emotions, stories about challenging corruption within the system, while also hitting the right amount of smut, then you should read this book.
Lottie is a strong character, she leads us through this world of Seven Hills through a lens of an assassin. When she is faced with a division of what is right and wrong, she's forced to make choices that might get her or others killed. Figuring out who she can trust, navigating a world where every move she makes is being watched. Through Lottie, we get to see a variety of diverse and captivating characters, all while wondering where their loyalties lie.
This book is like Divergent for adults, with more depth, and a little bit of smut.
Project Titan: Defect by Rian Adara filled a niche void I didn't know I needed. If you're someone who enjoys dystopia/utopia, strong characters who aren't completely shut off to their emotions, stories about challenging corruption within the system, while also hitting the right amount of smut, then you should read this book.
Lottie is a strong character, she leads us through this world of Seven Hills through a lens of an assassin. When she is faced with a division of what is right and wrong, she's forced to make choices that might get her or others killed. Figuring out who she can trust, navigating a world where every move she makes is being watched. Through Lottie, we get to see a variety of diverse and captivating characters, all while wondering where their loyalties lie.
This book is like Divergent for adults, with more depth, and a little bit of smut.
September 13, 2026
What a ride! To call the FMC morally gray is generous. Somehow I still liked her. Neat trick! Most of the characters exist in the gray zone. There’s a conspiracy, spies. Dystopian evil plans, and a lot of spice. The world is spicy, the characters are spicy, so enjoy the ride. My only complaint is I gotta get book two right away!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews