As one of Seattle’s most dangerous, feared men, Zeth Mayfair always carried out the jobs he’s sent on without a second thought. Drugs? Guns? Dirty money? They’re all fair game. But girls? Girls are another matter entirely. When Zeth’s employer decides buying and selling kidnapped women is a lucrative sideline, Zeth’s usually uncomplicated life suddenly becomes very complicated indeed. And his biggest complication goes by the name of Sloane Romera.
Sloane’s sister is missing, and she needs to find her, yet all doors leading into the seedy world of human trafficking are firmly closed in Sloane’s face. She’s a trauma doctor; she needs information. What she really needs is help…and help presents itself in a most unlikely form. Zeth is terrifying, scandalously hot, and comes fully loaded with a terrible attitude and wicked smile. He also looks like he’s Sloane’s only hope. Can she work with the guy without getting herself killed, losing her job, or falling head over heels in love?
Content Guidance: Blood & Roses is a dark romance series that contains explicit content and heavy themes intended for mature audiences. Readers are strongly encouraged to consider their personal sensitivities. This book contains: graphic violence, human trafficking, murder, psychological abuse, coercion, child abuse, substance abuse and addiction, and BDSM.
WHAT A MAN !!!!! He is ALL man and he is delicious!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
If you can please listen to the audiobook because the MMC narrator’s voice is like a raspy whisper in your ears and it makes Zeth Mayfair even HOTTER than he already is ! Love the plot, love Sloane, love how bratty and sassy she is. I love Michael and I will also now read Rebel because what you mean he is a MOTORCYCLE CLUB PRESIDENT ? That’s my addiction!
Okay, I'm not sure where to begin. I feel like 3 stars is very generous of me. If this wasn't written by Callie, I probably would have dnf'd. WHERE WAS THE CHEMISTRY? Yeah, the spice was 🤌🏻🌶 but did they even like each other? There really wasn't anything special between them. I liked the plot, but I felt like the story as a whole was lacking. The FMC, I wanted to shake her so many times throughout the story. Like, girl, I know you're smart AF, so act like it. Broody, dark MMC, but where was his yearning? I can't believe this is the same author who wrote Kingfisher! No chemistry, yearning or tension. There has to be a lot of convincing for me to read book 2 because I'm disappointed.
I read about 50% of the book and then skimmed the rest just to get to the ending. I loved that the FMC is a medical resident, and I’m always a fan of a morally gray MMC. But unfortunately the characters lacked chemistry and personality, and the story itself felt like it was missing a real plot. It just didn’t do it for me. 🤷♀️💋
First things first: check your trigger warnings. This is very dark romance and nothing like Quicksilver, so if you’re expecting that vibe you will be very disappointed.
This book dives straight into the darkness and the spice from the very beginning. It’s intense, morally gray, and definitely not for everyone. But somehow it completely pulled me in.
Zeth is that obsessive, morally gray MMC who will do anything for the FMC, and the dynamic between him and Sloane kept me hooked. The mystery surrounding the missing sister and the darker world they’re navigating kept the story moving for me.
And yes… there is a lot of spice. Like… chapter-one spicy.
This one is gritty, twisted, and very spicy, but I have to admit I was completely entertained and already curious to see where the story goes next. Thanks to forever publishing for the gifted arc.
sloane is a doctor that, between her insane hours has been tirelessly searching for her sister who was abducted from her college campus two years ago. at the end of her rope, she’s willing to sell herself in order to get just a scrap of information about where she is. little does she know this puts her on a collision course with the most dangerous thing she’s ever encountered: zeth. zeth is the enforcer for a gang who ends up being the key to finding sloanes sister. oh and, he might just be a little obsessed with sloane too?
man, i honestly had such a difficult time landing on a rating for this book. the first 20ish percent was a bit of a challenge for me to get too, it felt so rushed. as the book continued on the pacing did start to slow down and even out. at that point i was kind of hooked and a bit feral to know how it was all going to end.
the world of blood & roses is full of grit, darkness and constantly being unsure of who you could actually trust. it is full of spice right from the start and oooh man, 😮💨 our mc’s love some exhibitionism.
𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒔 character really stood out to me. she’s a doctor and has spent most of her life making “safe” decisions. it isn’t until her sister is kidnapped that she starts to seek out something darker. she’s messy, making decisions that don’t always make sense but at the same time do make sense? zeth makes her question everything about herself, uncovering who she is that she hides away deep inside. 𝒛𝒆𝒕𝒉 is our typical dark romance mmc, dark and mysterious with a traumatic past. not to mention he’s willing to burn down the world for sloane.
My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I saw a low-ish rating for this so I wasn’t expecting much but let me tell you what. They were wrong. Please don’t think you’re getting another Quicksilver series here. This is a dark mafia romance so if you adjust your expectations, it’s a great read.
Okay, listen… I am not a mafia romance girlie. I usually dip a toe in and immediately back away like, “Nope, too many guns, not enough emotional support snacks.” But Callie Hart said actually you’re going to fall face-first into this world, and she was absolutely right ... Zeth and Sloane? I could. Not. Look. Away. Their dynamic is the definition of magnetic chaos. They are dark, messy, morally questionable, and yet somehow impossible not to root for. Zeth has that “I’m the worst thing that could happen to you, but also the only person who will show up for you at 3 AM” energy, and Sloane matches him beat for beat with this sharp, steady resilience that keeps the whole story grounded. They’re the kind of characters who make you say “just one more chapter” until suddenly it’s 2 AM and you’ve forgotten how to blink. The writing is gritty in the best way, the tension is top tier, and the vibe is very “I shouldn’t want this but ohhhh I do.” Even as someone who doesn’t typically reach for mafia anything, I was locked in from page one.
If you’re into intense chemistry, morally gray everything, and characters who feel like they’re about to combust at all times, this one absolutely delivers. Consider me officially converted ... at least for Zeth and Sloane.
- dark romance - her sister has been taken and she'll do ANYTHING to get her back - she sells her body to get information on her sister - mafia, drug lords, manipulation, relational drama - high spice - bad boy x good doctor
The story in itself is very intriguing but the execution of it had me pulling out of the story and checking out... I wish Sloane had stood up for herself more against Zeth. I would have loved to see more back and forth between them but instead she submits every time and even apologizes for things HE should be apologizing for....
3,5⭐️ Not a fan of dark romance usually but I don’t know, I liked it. The smutty parts weren’t for me and there were too many of then imo but I liked the storyline and hey, I didn’t want to cringe out of my skin so there’s that.