Deprivation - PART TWO: A Dark Captive Romance

by Ellie Sanders

410 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2026

About the author

International bestselling author of Pitch Black Romance.


Ellie Sanders lives in rural Hampshire, in the U.K. with her partner and two troublesome dogs.

She has a BA Hons degree in English and American Literature with Creative Writing and enjoys spending her time, when not endlessly writing, exploring the countryside around her home.



Hit her up on her the following accounts.....

FB Group: The Hot Steamy Writer
Instagram: @hotsteamywriter
TikTok: @hotsteamywriter
Twitter: @hotsteamywriter

Reviews

[Kristy aka Brooksie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antonio McCrae, aka The King Maker, is a modern-day Game of Thrones Littlefinger. A master manipulator of powerful men, working behind the scenes to help run an unstoppable organization that runs countries, companies, and cities, being ruthless and cutthroat. He is cunning, cruel and calculated. He will stop at nothing, do anything, destroy anyone who gets in his way, and when he wants something, such as an old adversary's daughter, Grace, whom he manipulated and then murdered to get who he wanted on this dark, twisted throne of the organization he pulls the strings for, he will have her. In the way his organization handles these situations, she is held captive in a facility for several years until she turns 21. Untouched by any man, she is auctioned off as such, and her owner can claim her for himself in any way they see fit. Which is exactly what Antonio does. 

You would think that, given the amount spent to buy her, he would treat her as special and precious, but it is the complete opposite. He has no respect for the women he takes, and he makes sure that once she gets back to his mansion, she is trained like the others. To obey, be absolutely compliant in all his wants and needs. To defy him is to be brutally punished, both during her "training" and afterward. Grace's treatment and torture are unimaginable throughout this book. Just when you think she will get a reprieve from her horrific treatment, it's all a lie.   

“How do you bring down a King? You capture his Queen.”

Warning‼ This is a very dark story and is described as erotic horror, NOT romance. There is no HEA. Please check triggers ‼

Although this book was extremely difficult to listen to at times with what the FMC goes through, it was like a car accident. I couldn't look away. I did, however, have to take a few breaks because it is very heavy. This is the darkest book I have listened to thus far, so the warnings are there. Look up the triggers before diving into this story. If you cannot handle extreme dark trigger-riddled stories, do not read/listen to this book. It is not fair to the author to give a review based on the content if it is something you cannot handle. The narrators did an excellent job in their roles of this audiobook. 

Thank you to the author, @hotsteamywriter, and @bluenoseaudio, for the advanced ALC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. As always, I appreciate the opportunities Bluenose gives me to listen to these books prior to their release. 

If you read 24690 by A.A. Dark, in my opinion, this book is darker than that.

[✨Wendy✨| downtherabbitholes · Rating 4 out of 5]

📖 Deprivation by Ellie Sanders

🎧 Format: Audiobook
🎙️ Narrators: Sarah Mills and Alex Robertson

🗣️ “I belong to me”

READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS ‼️
READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS ‼️
READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS ‼️

✍️ Non-Spoiler Audiobook Review
*clears throat*
This was one hell of a story. I’ve listened to the previous books in this series, and yes, they are all pitch black (some more than others) but all very dark. Deprivation actually gave me the creeps whereas all of the others just made me uncomfortable… AND I DEVOURED IT. See, these are the types of stories that has me questioning my own sanity. Performed in a duet narration by Sarah Mills and Alex Robertson, both of whom were new to me narrators, delivered an intense and brutal performance I will continue to think about.

You can literally see as the conditioning started to take hold. It’s disturbing yet fascinating, all within the same thought process. Grace never stood a chance with Antonio. Being the Kingmaker, he was basically untouchable and an extremely powerful man and wealthy member of The Brethren. My heart constantly broke for her, but I found myself wanting her to follow the rules set. Then I would get mad at myself, because who thinks like that.

Deprivation is a pitch black, erotic horror that will make you question your own sanity. Antonio and Grace’s story was dark and heartbreaking. Their story will leave you feeling raw and possibly uncomfortable. That being said, I have a strange fascination with this series and cannot wait to get book 5 in my ears.

🗣️ “The choice is yours. The sweet. Or the sour.”

Thank you, Blue Nose Audio, for the ALC
📆 Audio Release Date: Coming Soon

Tropes
🖤 Pitch Black
🖤 Age Gap
🖤 Secret Society
🖤 Manipulation/ Conditioning

[Just Virginie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review – Deprivation by Ellie Sanders

Woop woop — book four of the Brethren Lord series is finished, and once again it was one hell of a ride.

This time we follow Antonio, also known as the Ringsmaker, and Grace. At first you might think Antonio is the slightly softer one among the brothers… but that assumption disappears very quickly. He is another completely unhinged, morally pitch-black MMC, and the monster living inside him is very real.

Grace, on the other hand, completely impressed me. I loved her strength and determination. Despite everything she’s forced to endure, she keeps her mental strength and refuses to break. Watching her hold on to that resilience made her such a compelling character.

And of course… this book ends on another brutal cliffhanger. Which means now the waiting begins until the next book releases. And after everything this series has put me through, I already know I’ll be diving straight back in. 🖤🔥

[Paige (wingsandsmut) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another pitch black book in the Brethren Lords series and I couldn’t stop listening. Be sure to check your TW because this book and series is VERY dark and not romance, definitely more erotic horror! Antonio has NO redeemable qualities and I truly don’t know how Grace stayed as strong as she did. I feel like the audio really elevated this book and made it so much more intense! Sarah Mills performed as Grace and Alex Robertson was Antonio - both of them were new to me narrators, but they did a fantastic job with this audio!

𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔢𝔵𝔭𝔢𝔠𝔱:
🖤pitch black erotic horror
🖤age gap
🖤power imbalance
🖤secret society
🖤no HEA

Thank you to Ellie Sanders and Blue Nose Audio for letting me listen and review an ALC of this!

[Lauri Walston · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy cheeseballs!!! I've been part of this journey for awhile and even though the books are hard to read (triggers) the story line is fantastic!! It's like watching a car wreck or something traumatic... you don't want to watch it but you do. These books have me in a trance, you are well aware that you should not victim shame it's just not done. This series though has you thinking of how you the victim made it worse for them ... then it gets you thinking if the book itself changed your own way of thinking?! rationally you wouldn't side with the villain, right??!!

all in all I love these books!

alc review 5 🤩
duet narrations 5 ⭐

NO HEA
NOT A ROMANCE
NOT A LOVE STORY
READ THE WARNINGS IF YOU HAVE TRIGGERS

[Luis León · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 (otra vez, en general al libro completo, con los dos volúmenes, le doy un 4.5)

" pero después de la oscuridad que he soportado, este sentimiento, por peligroso que sea, es lo único que parece real" - Grace.

bueno, esté es un final diferente, no es un final """"feliz""""" como los otros. aquí ni siquiera hay una pizca de luz al final del túnel, y ya entiendo por qué alguien dijo que Grace era la que había tenido el peor destino de las otras.

Antonio es un monstruo, es incluso más irredimible que los otros mmc's.

recuerdo que no quería que esté libro se acabe, también que Antonio me gustó un poco pero no, nadie debería de tener un crush por este monstruo.

necesitaba leer el final de Grace, la curiosidad es fuerte.

menos de 48 horas me duró la segunda parte de este libro.

[Ashlee Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I actually ARC read this one. Per usual Ellie DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Antonio is the cold, calculating, manipulative. Grace is fierce, even when she doesn’t see it. Ellie doesn’t just tell this horrific story, she immerses you in this world of f*cked depravity and power. Do not go into this book thinking that it is “dark romance”. If you read it as dark romance, you’re either going to be traumatized or complaining about it because there’s NO ROMANCE. Not really.. anyway. You’ve been warned. So don’t review it as such. This is a perfect example of psychological erotic horror. Grace’s situation is the stuff of nightmares and the fact that there are men out there who are just like Antonio is even more terrifying.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blown! That is what I have to say about this book. Antonio was a MONSTER but Ellie Sanders writes monsters so well. I’ve listened to all the audios in this series and this one has definitely took the cake for the most unhinged. Antonio wins Grace at an auction and puts the poor girl through hell. I would definitely check trigger warnings before listening but I would 1,000% recommend this book to my unhinged loving friends.

Sarah Mills and Alex Robertson are two new to me narrators but they did an incredible job narrating this book. I would definitely listen to them again. Thank you Blue Nose for allowing me to ALC this book and thank you Ellie Sanders for writing your unhinged MMCs! 🙌🏽

[Bree Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one on KU so part 1 and 2 were together. So far this one was my least favorite of the series, not because it wasnt good, but because i didnt care much about the MMC story. I wouldnt say that this FMC had the worst story of the bunch, but she may have the worst ending/reality that she has to deal with. You would have to read it and make up your mind on that front. I have a hard time imagining anyone having a worse fate that the girl in one of the previous books that was paralyzed and lobotomized...

[alisha jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure how to feel after this one. Make sure to check your triggers because this dark - pitch black there is no redemption happening.

I feel like grace got the worst outcome of all the FMCs and I am heartbroken for her. For all she went through and what she will go through.

Antonio is on my shit list. He is unreasonable piece of shit.

Ellie has done another great job writting this one. My heart is broken and the audio was done so well you can hear the emotion put into these characters that make them come alive.

[Nyx Hollow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is depraved. Like… pitch black, no light at the end type of dark.
Check trigger warnings before you even think about starting it.
Antonio is irredeemable—and that’s what makes it so intense.
The writing is so descriptive you feel every scene.
And Grace? The way she holds on… unreal strength.
The narrators made this completely addictive.

Thank you blue nose for the ALC

[Kendra Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not for the faint of heart! It is pitch black. I know the themes in this book are rough to swallow but the story in this series is addicting. I absolutely loved all the books! I recommend these to anyone interested in taking a step into the dark side.

[Sara-Catalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie Sanders, you will pay for my therapy sessions, because what was this book?

Christ, I thought that Depravity was the book that really showed me, there, these are your limits, but Antonio's book slapped me in the face and said, hold my beer, let me show you what trigger warnings really mean.

Connor was batshit crazy, that was more than clear, but Antonio was coldly calculating, a true mastermind, and that made Deprivation slightly worse than the rest of the books in the series. I thought him to be better than the Blake brothers, but hoo boy, he was even more cutthroat, even more evil.

At first he gave the image of free will, of having a choice, but in the end, there was no fucking choice for Grace. There was just him, just his abuse and manipulation, and I genuinely believe that Grace would have had a better ending in Oblivion than staying with him.

Was it enjoyable? Yes, but this book does not have a happy ending. Now I need Decimation because this book ended in a cliffhanger.

So Ellie, bestie, please hurry up and give us the last book because I am starving for more.