What do you think?
Rate this book
The Life of Anna #1-5
The Life of Anna: The Complete Dark Story
When tragedy shatters Anna’s life at a young age, she finds hope in two men who take her under their wings. Life is perfect until her sixteenth birthday when her world is turned upside down. Her beloved Jack and Devin have turned into monsters that haunt only the darkest of nightmares; nightmares that soon become her reality.
The Life of Anna follows the naive and innocent Anna as she enters a dark world of greed, politics, and an evil puppet master who pulls the strings to her world. And beyond.
Readers be warned, for this journey is not for the faint of heart. You are about to venture into a world of dark plots, sinister villains, and deeply erotic taboo encounters. Are you brave enough to enter the Life of Anna?
***WARNING***
This book is for grownups. This book is not for people who are easily offended, get nightmares easily, or have difficulty reading books about tough subjects. I do not glorify bad things, but bad things do happen to my poor characters. This is not your typical love story. My heroine does not fall in love and live happily ever after... at least not like the typical heroine. There is a happily ever after, but it is a long, painful journey to that end.
This book will likely offend you. This book might make you cry; it might make you throw up. It is a dark book. As my friend, Heidi, said, “It’s dark. It gets darker. It gets even darker, and then it gets even more darker. And then, just when you think it can’t get any darker, it does.”
But, don’t worry. I take you to the deep end gradually. ;)
There are many sexual situations in this series of books. People die. People get hurt. Things aren’t always truly the way they appear. The antagonist isn’t just a bad guy; he’s EVIL. My heroine’s worldview is skewed; things that may appall you are perfectly normal to her.
Any violence in this book is non-gratuitous and crucial to the plot and character development.
Do not read this if you are under the age of consent in your country. Do not get angry if the subject or actual book upsets you. If you're reading this, you've been warned.
The Life of Anna follows the naive and innocent Anna as she enters a dark world of greed, politics, and an evil puppet master who pulls the strings to her world. And beyond.
Readers be warned, for this journey is not for the faint of heart. You are about to venture into a world of dark plots, sinister villains, and deeply erotic taboo encounters. Are you brave enough to enter the Life of Anna?
***WARNING***
This book is for grownups. This book is not for people who are easily offended, get nightmares easily, or have difficulty reading books about tough subjects. I do not glorify bad things, but bad things do happen to my poor characters. This is not your typical love story. My heroine does not fall in love and live happily ever after... at least not like the typical heroine. There is a happily ever after, but it is a long, painful journey to that end.
This book will likely offend you. This book might make you cry; it might make you throw up. It is a dark book. As my friend, Heidi, said, “It’s dark. It gets darker. It gets even darker, and then it gets even more darker. And then, just when you think it can’t get any darker, it does.”
But, don’t worry. I take you to the deep end gradually. ;)
There are many sexual situations in this series of books. People die. People get hurt. Things aren’t always truly the way they appear. The antagonist isn’t just a bad guy; he’s EVIL. My heroine’s worldview is skewed; things that may appall you are perfectly normal to her.
Any violence in this book is non-gratuitous and crucial to the plot and character development.
Do not read this if you are under the age of consent in your country. Do not get angry if the subject or actual book upsets you. If you're reading this, you've been warned.
2297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 3, 2015
2701 people are currently reading
6097 people want to read
About the author
Marissa Honeycutt
19 books1,982 followersHi Everyone!
I'm an indie author that likes to write books that will make you feel! Dark is my primary genre with touches of romance, paranormal, political conspiracy, suspense, and thriller. I love meeting new readers, so feel free to touch base with me and introduce yourself!
Find and Follow Me on My Amazon Author Page
Find me on Facebook!
Follow me (and my secret hobby) on Instagram
I'm also on BookBub!
Sign Up for my Newsletter!
MY BOOKS
The Life of Anna
Enslaved (The Life of Anna, #1)
Entwined (The Life of Anna, #2)
Embraced (The Life of Anna, #3)
Ensnared (The Life of Anna, #4)
Emerged (The Life of Anna #5)
You can also read the entire story in one book: The Life of Anna: The Complete Story
Side story to The Life of Anna
Abandoned Grace
Finding Sabrina
Master of My Body (Finding Sabrina #1)
Master of My Heart (Finding Sabrina #2)
Master of My Life (Finding Sabrina #3)
Stand-Alone
Distorted Hope
Gluttony
For the Love of Music
I'm an indie author that likes to write books that will make you feel! Dark is my primary genre with touches of romance, paranormal, political conspiracy, suspense, and thriller. I love meeting new readers, so feel free to touch base with me and introduce yourself!
Find and Follow Me on My Amazon Author Page
Find me on Facebook!
Follow me (and my secret hobby) on Instagram
I'm also on BookBub!
Sign Up for my Newsletter!
MY BOOKS
The Life of Anna
Enslaved (The Life of Anna, #1)
Entwined (The Life of Anna, #2)
Embraced (The Life of Anna, #3)
Ensnared (The Life of Anna, #4)
Emerged (The Life of Anna #5)
You can also read the entire story in one book: The Life of Anna: The Complete Story
Side story to The Life of Anna
Abandoned Grace
Finding Sabrina
Master of My Body (Finding Sabrina #1)
Master of My Heart (Finding Sabrina #2)
Master of My Life (Finding Sabrina #3)
Stand-Alone
Distorted Hope
Gluttony
For the Love of Music
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 706 reviews
June 10, 2023
Final thoughts:
I don't like it. The first three books were okay and bearable. The last two were honestly horrible. Anna disappoints me. She didn't grow her backbone at all. She was the same girl as she was at the beginning, except now, she knows how to get angry. She didn't have a character growth (actually no one in this book does). The men in this book were puppets of their sexual desires. I'm not happy to finish this book. Sometimes I feel happy when I completed a dark romance because it was over and I feel satisfied with it. This one? Incompleted climax.
-------------------
I'm gonna write this as I go.
Book 1: WTF.
Book 2: I'm honestly bored with the number of sexual encounters this book has now. It's like I'm in this ennui state where I feel nothing about whatever happened to Anna.
Book 3: So... 'that' happened. Just a dash of happiness, then the author pulled out the jerk move and screamed 'psych suuuckersss!' on our faces.
Book 4: At this point, you have to wonder, when is enough going to be enough. I have to admit that I no longer felt sympathetic towards Anna. I kinda hate her now and I want this story to end. No one in this whole series behaved like normal people. That's a good thing because it made me feel like an outsider to the whole clusterfuck that happened here. But also bad because I couldn't give a damn anymore about the characters. I also think this series could've been much shorter than 5 books. You could've done a trilogy and I might've been okay with it. Oh and hello plot hole?
Book 5: I hate it. I found it repetitive and if I was able to tolerate it in the first four books, I can't now. Not when it's the final book. Not when things are supposed to make sense and all the plots are supposed to wrap tidily. I also found the stupidity of the characters to be the worst point here. Characters that were supposed to be manipulative, cunning and smart, were being thwarted by the half-assed attempts of rescue by mediocre characters.
I don't like it. The first three books were okay and bearable. The last two were honestly horrible. Anna disappoints me. She didn't grow her backbone at all. She was the same girl as she was at the beginning, except now, she knows how to get angry. She didn't have a character growth (actually no one in this book does). The men in this book were puppets of their sexual desires. I'm not happy to finish this book. Sometimes I feel happy when I completed a dark romance because it was over and I feel satisfied with it. This one? Incompleted climax.
-------------------
I'm gonna write this as I go.
Book 1: WTF.
Book 2: I'm honestly bored with the number of sexual encounters this book has now. It's like I'm in this ennui state where I feel nothing about whatever happened to Anna.
Book 3: So... 'that' happened. Just a dash of happiness, then the author pulled out the jerk move and screamed 'psych suuuckersss!' on our faces.
Book 4: At this point, you have to wonder, when is enough going to be enough. I have to admit that I no longer felt sympathetic towards Anna. I kinda hate her now and I want this story to end. No one in this whole series behaved like normal people. That's a good thing because it made me feel like an outsider to the whole clusterfuck that happened here. But also bad because I couldn't give a damn anymore about the characters. I also think this series could've been much shorter than 5 books. You could've done a trilogy and I might've been okay with it. Oh and hello plot hole?
Book 5: I hate it. I found it repetitive and if I was able to tolerate it in the first four books, I can't now. Not when it's the final book. Not when things are supposed to make sense and all the plots are supposed to wrap tidily. I also found the stupidity of the characters to be the worst point here. Characters that were supposed to be manipulative, cunning and smart, were being thwarted by the half-assed attempts of rescue by mediocre characters.
February 25, 2021
Four F’D Up Stars
I have one of the biggest book hangovers of my life.
The Life of Anna gave me a trigger I didn't even know I had or even thought about (I usually don’t have triggers), and I have read some incredibly dark books; here is my suggestion to you; read the author’s warning. Take is it seriously; there is no warm-up to get to the dark parts. It starts from the beginning and comes in waves, and each wave is darker than the last. On my dark scale, it is Pitch Black.
One of my darkest reads. If your looking for hearts, flowers, or are faint of heart. This book is not for you, and that is okay. There is no safety in this series. My review will be vague as I don’t want to give any spoilers away. Read the blurb and go in with an open mind.
Jack becomes Anna’s guardian when she loses her parents in a car accident at a young age. Devin is a close family friend who she adores and loves. Both seem caring towards her until they turn into monsters. I wanted to stab them both. Over and over again. That is a nice way to say it. Devin is one of the cruelest villains that I have ever read. A true narcissistic psychopath. Who wants nothing but power. Darkness surrounds him and he has embraced it. Alex is the man of Anna's visions and her hope. As much as I like him, I questioned him so many times.
I read this series in less than two days, so to say I was captivated and fell down the dark hole is an understatement. It’s a dark, twisted, and disturbing tale. The author went into a very dark place to write this series, and it's very graphic; I yelled, cried, and wanted to throw my iPad across the room on several occasions. A mind fuckery went on; I questioned my morals and pushed my limits. Such an emotional ride. That is what I want in a dark book.
Some parts are repetitive, and I still have some questions. Because of that, I give this book four stars. The creativity and imagination, I give this five stars. I will read more of the author's books. I now know what to expect and will brace myself.
I have one of the biggest book hangovers of my life.
The Life of Anna gave me a trigger I didn't even know I had or even thought about (I usually don’t have triggers), and I have read some incredibly dark books; here is my suggestion to you; read the author’s warning. Take is it seriously; there is no warm-up to get to the dark parts. It starts from the beginning and comes in waves, and each wave is darker than the last. On my dark scale, it is Pitch Black.
One of my darkest reads. If your looking for hearts, flowers, or are faint of heart. This book is not for you, and that is okay. There is no safety in this series. My review will be vague as I don’t want to give any spoilers away. Read the blurb and go in with an open mind.
Jack becomes Anna’s guardian when she loses her parents in a car accident at a young age. Devin is a close family friend who she adores and loves. Both seem caring towards her until they turn into monsters. I wanted to stab them both. Over and over again. That is a nice way to say it. Devin is one of the cruelest villains that I have ever read. A true narcissistic psychopath. Who wants nothing but power. Darkness surrounds him and he has embraced it. Alex is the man of Anna's visions and her hope. As much as I like him, I questioned him so many times.
I read this series in less than two days, so to say I was captivated and fell down the dark hole is an understatement. It’s a dark, twisted, and disturbing tale. The author went into a very dark place to write this series, and it's very graphic; I yelled, cried, and wanted to throw my iPad across the room on several occasions. A mind fuckery went on; I questioned my morals and pushed my limits. Such an emotional ride. That is what I want in a dark book.
Some parts are repetitive, and I still have some questions. Because of that, I give this book four stars. The creativity and imagination, I give this five stars. I will read more of the author's books. I now know what to expect and will brace myself.
December 24, 2016
Okay, I left a comment elsewhere about this book and I thought this would be the best place to do it, as all the books are in one place.
A) There can only be two reasons why this series has such good rating. One, the ladies haven't watched p*** movies. Second, the author bought the reviews.
B) This is an awaful book and the reason why I am leaving a review is because I am annoyed with the author for claiming she is some sort of Dark Romance version of Stephen King and all these suspect reviews, which led me to buy the book and waste my money.
Story Summary: Please note spoilers ahead
Anna is a daughter of an immortal who falls in love with a human. There is some type of pact between Immortals and Elders ( humans). Each country has its own Elder who belong to some Brotherhood. Who are these Elders, how are they selected is never mentioned. ( Never mind that nation-state is a recent phenomenon and country's split and merge. I wonder if Taiwan has Elders and what China would think of this? Just saying.) Now it is a bit confusing as to what exactly they do or their purpose. Additionally, she could have also explained the relationship between these Elders and their counterparts in different countries. It is actually important as the story starts to get convoluted and difficult to understand in relation to immortals and Elders. Also, there was no indication of how many Elders each country had.
Each Elder has a First Son who goes onto take the position of their fathers once they pass . However, in the book all the sons of the Elders seem to have access to the rituals and and
Then there are the Mistresses who serve as some high class, highly intelligent, concubines to the Elders. All we know is these Mistresses are daughters of immortals. The author doesn't go into detail about how they are chosen by the immortals. They just are given to the Elders. They are cold, beautiful and service Elders. ( S0 who cares about anything else?) Again the author doesn't go into detail about how many Mistresses are there in the world and how many Masters ( Elders) does each serve? Besides, what exactly are they there for was not clear. They service the Elders. At one point it seemed like each of them got one but at other points it seemed like each country had one Mistress for all the Elders in that country.
Also, the Elders can claim the Mistresses, which is what Devin does with Anna when she is a baby. By the way, her father is an immortal, and when Anna's mother dies in a car accident, he leaves her. What?! I thought these immortals were all powerful. Instead, her father goes to this rich German royal family Elders (Lol!) and bonds the hero of the story Alex ( the only character I could stand) and Anna. But then Alex is obviously not willing to go along with this and declines to make Anna his own at age 16 years old. But Anna can feel Alex from time to time.
Slaves - So women can be trained as slaves by the Elders and are kept in a Manor for their use. There are all sorts of slaves, garden variety PG movie slaves to Red Room slaves. They service men of importance. The Mistress lives by herself on the top floor unlike the human slaves who are all kept downstairs. Every week these Elders ( in America) invite people ( read rich and influential men) and these slaves service them.
Anyways, now for the story of our Anna. So Anna is trained to be a sex slave by Devin who has claimed her using methods that have been banned with the ultimate aim of controlling her brains and taking her essense. ( The Essense taking is very complicated by the way. The Immortal has to rape the Mistress and then the Elder has to suck it out of her). After 4 years of training, our Anna is trained in the art of sexual activity. She can even organsm when someone commands her. Because her training is so good and she is an expert sex slave, she needs sex all the time.
Anyways, , Anna has had sex with Devin who is suddenly nice to her and she declares her love for him, then he makes her have sex with everyone, and then the German Elders, the one Anna's father recached out to try and resuce her. Not before Anna has ploughed her way through the Grandpa and his two sons. Due to some ritual Anna now has two masters, Devin and Alex.
Devin is not happy about this and then in the second half of the book Alex disappears after being "mean" to Anna. Now, you would think you would feel bad for Anna and sympathize with her. Hell no. She is the most annoying little moron out there. So, Devin does all sorts of hellish things to her and our Anna is always head over heels in love with him. She is rude, hateful and petty towards the three Germans who actually treat her with some semblance of respect.
Then our Anna goes and falls in love with anyone and everyone who is not Devin and then comes back to him. She is in love with Alex's father, brother, two other Elders and two ordinary human beings. But she also apparently also feels a connection with Alex but most of the time she is made at him or acts like a spoiled idiot. He, on the other hand, shows a lot of restraints and maturity. Eventually, she rebels against Devin but not as a grown, mature woman but as a petulant spoiled,child.
Anyways, I am not some puritarian complaining about the story line. But it was so terrible. Anna is constantly abused and each of it is described in great detail. Literally every page has a sex scene and every problem in the world is solved by sex. Anna also has sex with the President of the United States, an Immortal, and powerful men.
Seriously, the reason why I am so annoyed with this book is that after a while the sex scenes get boring. The author also introduces gay and bisexual sex. Do I have a problem with it? Absolutely not. But it is as if the author just wanted to add every known sexual position, sexual preference and exploitation in her book without a context. There is nothing disturbing about the characters or any of the sexual activity. Some of the comments are downright hillarious. Who are these women and what type of a sex life do they have?
After a while it becomes an x-rated porn movie we can watch for less amount of time, without our pockets burned over this terrible, terrible "Dud Comedy". Oops I mean "Dark Romance".
A) There can only be two reasons why this series has such good rating. One, the ladies haven't watched p*** movies. Second, the author bought the reviews.
B) This is an awaful book and the reason why I am leaving a review is because I am annoyed with the author for claiming she is some sort of Dark Romance version of Stephen King and all these suspect reviews, which led me to buy the book and waste my money.
Story Summary: Please note spoilers ahead
Anna is a daughter of an immortal who falls in love with a human. There is some type of pact between Immortals and Elders ( humans). Each country has its own Elder who belong to some Brotherhood. Who are these Elders, how are they selected is never mentioned. ( Never mind that nation-state is a recent phenomenon and country's split and merge. I wonder if Taiwan has Elders and what China would think of this? Just saying.) Now it is a bit confusing as to what exactly they do or their purpose. Additionally, she could have also explained the relationship between these Elders and their counterparts in different countries. It is actually important as the story starts to get convoluted and difficult to understand in relation to immortals and Elders. Also, there was no indication of how many Elders each country had.
Each Elder has a First Son who goes onto take the position of their fathers once they pass . However, in the book all the sons of the Elders seem to have access to the rituals and and
Then there are the Mistresses who serve as some high class, highly intelligent, concubines to the Elders. All we know is these Mistresses are daughters of immortals. The author doesn't go into detail about how they are chosen by the immortals. They just are given to the Elders. They are cold, beautiful and service Elders. ( S0 who cares about anything else?) Again the author doesn't go into detail about how many Mistresses are there in the world and how many Masters ( Elders) does each serve? Besides, what exactly are they there for was not clear. They service the Elders. At one point it seemed like each of them got one but at other points it seemed like each country had one Mistress for all the Elders in that country.
Also, the Elders can claim the Mistresses, which is what Devin does with Anna when she is a baby. By the way, her father is an immortal, and when Anna's mother dies in a car accident, he leaves her. What?! I thought these immortals were all powerful. Instead, her father goes to this rich German royal family Elders (Lol!) and bonds the hero of the story Alex ( the only character I could stand) and Anna. But then Alex is obviously not willing to go along with this and declines to make Anna his own at age 16 years old. But Anna can feel Alex from time to time.
Slaves - So women can be trained as slaves by the Elders and are kept in a Manor for their use. There are all sorts of slaves, garden variety PG movie slaves to Red Room slaves. They service men of importance. The Mistress lives by herself on the top floor unlike the human slaves who are all kept downstairs. Every week these Elders ( in America) invite people ( read rich and influential men) and these slaves service them.
Anyways, now for the story of our Anna. So Anna is trained to be a sex slave by Devin who has claimed her using methods that have been banned with the ultimate aim of controlling her brains and taking her essense. ( The Essense taking is very complicated by the way. The Immortal has to rape the Mistress and then the Elder has to suck it out of her). After 4 years of training, our Anna is trained in the art of sexual activity. She can even organsm when someone commands her. Because her training is so good and she is an expert sex slave, she needs sex all the time.
Anyways, , Anna has had sex with Devin who is suddenly nice to her and she declares her love for him, then he makes her have sex with everyone, and then the German Elders, the one Anna's father recached out to try and resuce her. Not before Anna has ploughed her way through the Grandpa and his two sons. Due to some ritual Anna now has two masters, Devin and Alex.
Devin is not happy about this and then in the second half of the book Alex disappears after being "mean" to Anna. Now, you would think you would feel bad for Anna and sympathize with her. Hell no. She is the most annoying little moron out there. So, Devin does all sorts of hellish things to her and our Anna is always head over heels in love with him. She is rude, hateful and petty towards the three Germans who actually treat her with some semblance of respect.
Then our Anna goes and falls in love with anyone and everyone who is not Devin and then comes back to him. She is in love with Alex's father, brother, two other Elders and two ordinary human beings. But she also apparently also feels a connection with Alex but most of the time she is made at him or acts like a spoiled idiot. He, on the other hand, shows a lot of restraints and maturity. Eventually, she rebels against Devin but not as a grown, mature woman but as a petulant spoiled,child.
Anyways, I am not some puritarian complaining about the story line. But it was so terrible. Anna is constantly abused and each of it is described in great detail. Literally every page has a sex scene and every problem in the world is solved by sex. Anna also has sex with the President of the United States, an Immortal, and powerful men.
Seriously, the reason why I am so annoyed with this book is that after a while the sex scenes get boring. The author also introduces gay and bisexual sex. Do I have a problem with it? Absolutely not. But it is as if the author just wanted to add every known sexual position, sexual preference and exploitation in her book without a context. There is nothing disturbing about the characters or any of the sexual activity. Some of the comments are downright hillarious. Who are these women and what type of a sex life do they have?
After a while it becomes an x-rated porn movie we can watch for less amount of time, without our pockets burned over this terrible, terrible "Dud Comedy". Oops I mean "Dark Romance".
March 9, 2021
4.5 stars
I have never put a disclaimer on a review before but if I’m going to this is the one to do it for. There were points where I broke into a cold sweat, I’ve felt nauseous. I’ve felt visceral anger and devastation. There are parts that are romantic but this is by no means a romance. This is straight up horror erotica and it contains the most disturbing things I have ever read, heard or seen.
If you’re going to tackle this monster, you should go in dark. The less you know the better the story is as it unfolds. Just know that it’s long af, there’s an extreme amount of sex and a ton of triggers. As my friend Crystal would rate, this one is pitch black. (Thanks so much for the recommendation Crystal 🖤)
This feels pretty reminiscent of Eyes Wide Shut. But also The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. There was a sadistic cult and this feels like a version of that.
It’s been a hot minute since I read a book with a sexy German. I forgot how much I enjoyed the pet names.
This book makes your stomach churn. When things settle down and all seems well you can’t help but sit on the edge of your seat waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Overall, this was an extremely hard read for so many reasons. But it was also so well done, I’m amazed by the author for many things but especially keeping all those characters straight. And while it was horrible at times, it also shined with beauty. You can never truly appreciate the sun without the storm.
I have never put a disclaimer on a review before but if I’m going to this is the one to do it for. There were points where I broke into a cold sweat, I’ve felt nauseous. I’ve felt visceral anger and devastation. There are parts that are romantic but this is by no means a romance. This is straight up horror erotica and it contains the most disturbing things I have ever read, heard or seen.
If you’re going to tackle this monster, you should go in dark. The less you know the better the story is as it unfolds. Just know that it’s long af, there’s an extreme amount of sex and a ton of triggers. As my friend Crystal would rate, this one is pitch black. (Thanks so much for the recommendation Crystal 🖤)
This feels pretty reminiscent of Eyes Wide Shut. But also The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. There was a sadistic cult and this feels like a version of that.
It’s been a hot minute since I read a book with a sexy German. I forgot how much I enjoyed the pet names.
This book makes your stomach churn. When things settle down and all seems well you can’t help but sit on the edge of your seat waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Overall, this was an extremely hard read for so many reasons. But it was also so well done, I’m amazed by the author for many things but especially keeping all those characters straight. And while it was horrible at times, it also shined with beauty. You can never truly appreciate the sun without the storm.
July 13, 2015
***THE BEST BOOK I (ALMOST) WISH I’D NEVER READ!!***
I’ve never had to rest and recover before writing a review. This is a first for me. I purchased the entire series because I thought the cover was beautiful. I thought the story would be as well.
Nope.
Not a chance.
Some of the story was beautiful, most was not. There were times that I wanted to kill someone. There were times when I wanted to cry. There were times when I wanted to vomit. One line in the book shook me through to my soul. I will reveal no details. You must walk into this book alone and unaware, as I did.
Marissa Honeycutt is a rising author. A good one. If a book, or series of books, is supposed to elicit emotion, Ms. Honeycutt has achieved her goal. The middle books slayed me – SLAYED ME!!!!
***WARNING***
THIS SERIES IS NOT A “FEEL GOOD” ONE - that is, until the end. Ms. Honeycutt promised a HEA, and I sincerely appreciated being able to breathe again because for most of the books I found myself holding my breath. Until the end. Thank heaven for the end.
Anna deserved her ending. It was EXCELLENT!!!
I would recommend this book for an emotional adventure, but if you’re faint of heart please read the synopsis, and the warning in the first few pages. I recommend it if you’re into book-fed adrenaline rush.
DD Lorenzo, Author of “The Depth of Emotion” Series
I’ve never had to rest and recover before writing a review. This is a first for me. I purchased the entire series because I thought the cover was beautiful. I thought the story would be as well.
Nope.
Not a chance.
Some of the story was beautiful, most was not. There were times that I wanted to kill someone. There were times when I wanted to cry. There were times when I wanted to vomit. One line in the book shook me through to my soul. I will reveal no details. You must walk into this book alone and unaware, as I did.
Marissa Honeycutt is a rising author. A good one. If a book, or series of books, is supposed to elicit emotion, Ms. Honeycutt has achieved her goal. The middle books slayed me – SLAYED ME!!!!
***WARNING***
THIS SERIES IS NOT A “FEEL GOOD” ONE - that is, until the end. Ms. Honeycutt promised a HEA, and I sincerely appreciated being able to breathe again because for most of the books I found myself holding my breath. Until the end. Thank heaven for the end.
Anna deserved her ending. It was EXCELLENT!!!
I would recommend this book for an emotional adventure, but if you’re faint of heart please read the synopsis, and the warning in the first few pages. I recommend it if you’re into book-fed adrenaline rush.
DD Lorenzo, Author of “The Depth of Emotion” Series
November 18, 2015
Review + Comments
No author's fans should go around harassing other readers and reviewers.
No author's fans should go around harassing other readers and reviewers.
January 12, 2021
2 Stars
I skimmed a lot because of how repetitive it got tbh. It just kept dragging and dragging... I did like Alex, but he wasn't someone I necessarily rooted for. He was no different than any other man that used Anna. Even Devin was more interesting. Or if Alex's dad wasn't married, I would have probably liked him more 🤷 anyways, the entire series just felt like it was nonstop sex, torture, date or fall in love with a man, go back to Devin, more sex and torture, then start all over with another man. It was just the same thing over and over again. And besides that, I didn't feel like the writing was up to par, so I don't necessarily understand all the hype, but to each their own🤷
I skimmed a lot because of how repetitive it got tbh. It just kept dragging and dragging... I did like Alex, but he wasn't someone I necessarily rooted for. He was no different than any other man that used Anna. Even Devin was more interesting. Or if Alex's dad wasn't married, I would have probably liked him more 🤷 anyways, the entire series just felt like it was nonstop sex, torture, date or fall in love with a man, go back to Devin, more sex and torture, then start all over with another man. It was just the same thing over and over again. And besides that, I didn't feel like the writing was up to par, so I don't necessarily understand all the hype, but to each their own🤷
June 18, 2015
Warning!
This series IS NOT for the faint of heart. It is disturbing, it contains rape, torture, kidnapping, violence, orgy, gay sex, ménage, orgy scene…you name it, this series contains it. You have been warned.
This is the most intense series I have ever read. You must read these books in order. There are 5 books to the series and this review is simply a summary of the series as a whole. I do not give reviews to provide further analysis of the story, rather share what impact, or lack thereof, the story had on me.
Usually I read books for entertainment…yes I like, well love, erotic romance with HEA, and I never have read “paranormal” stories before this one. This series however, I cannot say I read for entertainment. How can one be “entertained” while reading gruesome details of rape and torture to a young woman who is used repeatedly as a slave? It’s one of those situations, where I kept reading, kept torturing myself through the pain of the book looking for my beloved HEA.
It ripped at my heart strings while always keeping me hanging on to HOPE. Hope there would be an end to Anna’s torture, a Hope that she can find true love, a Hope that her body would no longer be used for others’ pleasure. Did she get her HEA…I will not tell, but I will tell the author takes you on a very intense journey in her trying to get there day.
Multiple times throughout this read, I had to simply cry, turn off my kindle and walk away for a few hours. It was that intense. There were scenes in this series that you can’t even imagine. Put it this way, think of the most horrific situation in which you believe one could be tortured…I guarantee you this series contains scenes even worse than you imagine. I found myself asking “Did that really just happen?” on multiple occasions.
5* review, you may wonder? Yes, if I could give this book a 10, I would. What an outstanding piece of work from this author.
So it’s been an hour since I finished the series as I’m writing this review, and my insides are still a complete mess. This is one of those series, where when finished the intensity of it has your insides all in a jumbled mess. It’s 10 am I need a glass of wine…scratch that give me a shot of whiskey. I need something strong to calm me down.
So, for those looking for intense darkness…YES…get this series! It will be one you probably will never forget.
This series IS NOT for the faint of heart. It is disturbing, it contains rape, torture, kidnapping, violence, orgy, gay sex, ménage, orgy scene…you name it, this series contains it. You have been warned.
This is the most intense series I have ever read. You must read these books in order. There are 5 books to the series and this review is simply a summary of the series as a whole. I do not give reviews to provide further analysis of the story, rather share what impact, or lack thereof, the story had on me.
Usually I read books for entertainment…yes I like, well love, erotic romance with HEA, and I never have read “paranormal” stories before this one. This series however, I cannot say I read for entertainment. How can one be “entertained” while reading gruesome details of rape and torture to a young woman who is used repeatedly as a slave? It’s one of those situations, where I kept reading, kept torturing myself through the pain of the book looking for my beloved HEA.
It ripped at my heart strings while always keeping me hanging on to HOPE. Hope there would be an end to Anna’s torture, a Hope that she can find true love, a Hope that her body would no longer be used for others’ pleasure. Did she get her HEA…I will not tell, but I will tell the author takes you on a very intense journey in her trying to get there day.
Multiple times throughout this read, I had to simply cry, turn off my kindle and walk away for a few hours. It was that intense. There were scenes in this series that you can’t even imagine. Put it this way, think of the most horrific situation in which you believe one could be tortured…I guarantee you this series contains scenes even worse than you imagine. I found myself asking “Did that really just happen?” on multiple occasions.
5* review, you may wonder? Yes, if I could give this book a 10, I would. What an outstanding piece of work from this author.
So it’s been an hour since I finished the series as I’m writing this review, and my insides are still a complete mess. This is one of those series, where when finished the intensity of it has your insides all in a jumbled mess. It’s 10 am I need a glass of wine…scratch that give me a shot of whiskey. I need something strong to calm me down.
So, for those looking for intense darkness…YES…get this series! It will be one you probably will never forget.
July 2, 2019
This was seriously fucked-up but highly addictive and I have lived and breathed Anna and Alex for the last week. So good. Definitely worth a read once you don't have triggers related to rape/sexual assault/slavery/violence.
September 16, 2017
6 STARS
Do you like your books so dark it makes you contemplate your own sanity and morals? Do you like a good mind fuck? Do you like books that make you want to gouge your eyes out and vomit? Do you like books that you know you should be walking, I mean running, away from but no matter how hard you try you can't? Do you like books that hold you captured with it's disturbing torture and raw grit, while your mind's screaming abort, abort?!
Then you need to read The Life of Anna by Marissa Honeycutt.
This series consists of 2000+ pages and I finished it in under 48 hours. I haven't devoured a book in such short time since I read L.b. Simmons. Seriously, this book is beyond sinister and haunting. She has put some of the other dark authors I have read to shame. Marissa makes them look like tame kitty cats.
Do you like your books so dark it makes you contemplate your own sanity and morals? Do you like a good mind fuck? Do you like books that make you want to gouge your eyes out and vomit? Do you like books that you know you should be walking, I mean running, away from but no matter how hard you try you can't? Do you like books that hold you captured with it's disturbing torture and raw grit, while your mind's screaming abort, abort?!
Then you need to read The Life of Anna by Marissa Honeycutt.
This series consists of 2000+ pages and I finished it in under 48 hours. I haven't devoured a book in such short time since I read L.b. Simmons. Seriously, this book is beyond sinister and haunting. She has put some of the other dark authors I have read to shame. Marissa makes them look like tame kitty cats.
December 12, 2020
*Cracks knuckles* Alright, I finished this monstrosity. Let's talk about this so-called "dark" book.
First of all, madam... My masturbatory fantasies are darker, more detailed, and with better character development than this. Plus shorter and more satisfying. Ever heard the phrase "Show, don't tell"? Become acquainted, I beg you. Also, I get that she's been "trained" to come on command, but I really hate that so many romance books make it appear easy for women to climax without direct clitoral stimulation. At least acknowledge this! Plus a quick magical hymen scene.
Sure- MOST readers will find this book "dark". I am not most readers. You taunted me with DARK, warning me this was 'for grownups' (NO SHIT, EROTICA IS NOT FOR CHILDREN??) and yet you refused to commit to it! Yes, there's some extremely graphic scenes; very violent, bloody, foul activities going on, but I would say maybe 80% of that is merely recounted as opposed to described. What IS described is done so in a bare-minimum way, a way that I can practically hear you shivering and giggling to yourself as if that will show us!
The most graphically described scene is the one girl who somewhere in the middle of this 2000+ pages of complete misery and torture porn. And that being said, it's a fucking snoozefest. It's tedious. Bogged down by too many pointless characters, plotlines and threads that are employed, forgotten, barely fulfilled and then tossed away, mind-numbing scenes of torture, rape, meaningless sex, and indescribed ballet numbers. In a book/series labeled as "dark", your dark material should not be tedious, boring, or 'mind-numbing'.
Honestly, I am not sickened by the contents. I "ain't even mad", because it's too disappointing that an author could take such prime erotic-horror material and make it so DULL. I shake my head at all this wasted potential. Especially when it comes to Anna, who JUST BARELY develops a mind of her own, and doesn't even really get to do much with it by the end. Also, you give us You had a glorious chance here! To make her a character with some fucking agency! To give her revenge and a taste of her own power! And again, it's just reported back second-hand.
Please. This series isn't as "dark" as you want it to be just because you gave us some gore. "The Life of Anna" took some pretty stellar ideas and world-building and made them a massive slog that was about a thousand pages longer than it needed to be. There was a lot of unnecessary fluff, a heroine who literally throws herself over something and cries every other scene, and just pages and pages of half-assed torture that has no meaning but to pad out a book and then gloat about how "dark" it is. Disappointing.
I will never understand why there are so many writers who just want to write about graphic torture without giving it a meaningful reason to be included in the narrative. I read this entire non-con, gory sobfest and was BOOOOOORED. IT'S A BOOK ABOUT EXTREME RAPE AND TORTURE! HOW DID YOU ALLOW IT TO BECOME DULL?
There was a glimmer of promise, don't get me wrong. The world of the Brotherhood, the Immortals and the Elders, the symbols and rites and rituals- all very creative. Fascinating. Too bad nothing else lived up to it. I do hate to be harsh, but there's a level of craft and storytelling I seek in a book that very few seem to have a grasp of, and there's no bigger letdown than watching an author hype herself up so hard with such a lengthy warning, and then just have it fall so flat on its face.
You didn't commit to your own warning, darling. You could not go whole-hog with your premise, your promises, or your darkness. Maybe try turning the dial up to 11 next time? How am I supposed to take this seriously?
First of all, madam... My masturbatory fantasies are darker, more detailed, and with better character development than this. Plus shorter and more satisfying. Ever heard the phrase "Show, don't tell"? Become acquainted, I beg you. Also, I get that she's been "trained" to come on command, but I really hate that so many romance books make it appear easy for women to climax without direct clitoral stimulation. At least acknowledge this! Plus a quick magical hymen scene.
Sure- MOST readers will find this book "dark". I am not most readers. You taunted me with DARK, warning me this was 'for grownups' (NO SHIT, EROTICA IS NOT FOR CHILDREN??) and yet you refused to commit to it! Yes, there's some extremely graphic scenes; very violent, bloody, foul activities going on, but I would say maybe 80% of that is merely recounted as opposed to described. What IS described is done so in a bare-minimum way, a way that I can practically hear you shivering and giggling to yourself as if that will show us!
The most graphically described scene is the one girl who somewhere in the middle of this 2000+ pages of complete misery and torture porn. And that being said, it's a fucking snoozefest. It's tedious. Bogged down by too many pointless characters, plotlines and threads that are employed, forgotten, barely fulfilled and then tossed away, mind-numbing scenes of torture, rape, meaningless sex, and indescribed ballet numbers. In a book/series labeled as "dark", your dark material should not be tedious, boring, or 'mind-numbing'.
Honestly, I am not sickened by the contents. I "ain't even mad", because it's too disappointing that an author could take such prime erotic-horror material and make it so DULL. I shake my head at all this wasted potential. Especially when it comes to Anna, who JUST BARELY develops a mind of her own, and doesn't even really get to do much with it by the end. Also, you give us You had a glorious chance here! To make her a character with some fucking agency! To give her revenge and a taste of her own power! And again, it's just reported back second-hand.
Please. This series isn't as "dark" as you want it to be just because you gave us some gore. "The Life of Anna" took some pretty stellar ideas and world-building and made them a massive slog that was about a thousand pages longer than it needed to be. There was a lot of unnecessary fluff, a heroine who literally throws herself over something and cries every other scene, and just pages and pages of half-assed torture that has no meaning but to pad out a book and then gloat about how "dark" it is. Disappointing.
I will never understand why there are so many writers who just want to write about graphic torture without giving it a meaningful reason to be included in the narrative. I read this entire non-con, gory sobfest and was BOOOOOORED. IT'S A BOOK ABOUT EXTREME RAPE AND TORTURE! HOW DID YOU ALLOW IT TO BECOME DULL?
There was a glimmer of promise, don't get me wrong. The world of the Brotherhood, the Immortals and the Elders, the symbols and rites and rituals- all very creative. Fascinating. Too bad nothing else lived up to it. I do hate to be harsh, but there's a level of craft and storytelling I seek in a book that very few seem to have a grasp of, and there's no bigger letdown than watching an author hype herself up so hard with such a lengthy warning, and then just have it fall so flat on its face.
You didn't commit to your own warning, darling. You could not go whole-hog with your premise, your promises, or your darkness. Maybe try turning the dial up to 11 next time? How am I supposed to take this seriously?
June 10, 2015
I feel like I just inhaled 5 books in one breath. One of the best series purchases I made so far this year. I wasn't sure what to expect when I chose the first book. I read that there were some supernatural aspects to this story. While there is an entire "sub-world" with supernatural beings and special talents, etc., it isn't hard to become acquainted with it as it exists "underneath" our current mainstream world. There are many characters though the story focuses on the perspectives of three main characters: Devin (I shall call him Sir Asshole), Alex (the German stud) and Anna (the victim/survivor/enthralling beauty). I have not read any other reviews since I picked up the series, but I'm certain that there are haters out there. The writing is not stellar. It isn't literature. But I didn't find an exorbitant amount of typos. Just very simplistic writing. That doesn't bother me. The various characters who interact with our key players help keep the book interesting.
This is not a book for the faint of heart. If you don't like dark erotica, do not read this. While the abuse at times borders on the ridiculous (meaning that it is heaped and heaped upon her to the point any normal person would have completely lost their minds -permanently), I first kept in mind that this fiction, and, second, the author uses various ways to remind us that she isn't exactly human. I imagine some readers would be turned off by Anna's passive demeanor. But with the development of the characters and their world, I didn't find it hard to accept.
At times I wondered if I'd ever get to the HEA!! But by the time I got to the last book (I read these consecutively as I bought the Complete Story after I purchased the first book), I knew I was close to the HEA, and felt satisfied by the journey.
This is not a book for the faint of heart. If you don't like dark erotica, do not read this. While the abuse at times borders on the ridiculous (meaning that it is heaped and heaped upon her to the point any normal person would have completely lost their minds -permanently), I first kept in mind that this fiction, and, second, the author uses various ways to remind us that she isn't exactly human. I imagine some readers would be turned off by Anna's passive demeanor. But with the development of the characters and their world, I didn't find it hard to accept.
At times I wondered if I'd ever get to the HEA!! But by the time I got to the last book (I read these consecutively as I bought the Complete Story after I purchased the first book), I knew I was close to the HEA, and felt satisfied by the journey.
July 16, 2015
Oh I absolutely hated reading the last chapter. Because I knew then that it was over. This Epic five book series was actually over. I was not ready to say goodbye to the characters I have fallen in love with. I was not ready to have a day o by where I didn't see what Anna was doing.
I can honestly say a book standalone nor a series has ever drawn me in the way The Life of Anna has. I have never felt everything from the desire to the pain that a character has felt before this. I didn't even know it was possible for a book to make you feel such things. I have felt sad or heartbroken before while reading but never like I did with this series.
I felt it all. The sadness, the pain, the aching, the heartbreak. And I loved it!! I can't wait to see what Marissa writes next!!!
I can honestly say a book standalone nor a series has ever drawn me in the way The Life of Anna has. I have never felt everything from the desire to the pain that a character has felt before this. I didn't even know it was possible for a book to make you feel such things. I have felt sad or heartbroken before while reading but never like I did with this series.
I felt it all. The sadness, the pain, the aching, the heartbreak. And I loved it!! I can't wait to see what Marissa writes next!!!
October 2, 2021
See individual books for review.
May 3, 2015
Holy f*%#!, Melissa, the author, has quite the imagination. This series is dark, darker than dark, and disturbing, an unbelievable emotional roller coaster ride with strong characters in every twist and turn and you can't help but hold on to the ride. Just when you think you've read it all your stomach plunges, your heart speeds up during the next surge of the ride and you can't believe you've just read what you did. You do ask yourself WTF? did I just read but you will continue to read on hoping for light at the end of the dark and twisted tunnel. This series is filled with characters who all play important roles to this story, the main character, Anna - sweet Anna, what a life full of pain and despair, just wrapping your mind about who she really is in this world is a story in itself. Devin, while he is no doubt the devil in human form with a never ending need for power, control and manipulation, you learn to hate and despise him more and more. Alex. Oh, Alex, he is Anna's hope, her strength, her love and her life and becomes your white knight in this book full of evil, secrets, sickness and hopelessness. This series is not for the faint and you should definitely have an open mind while reading. This story will stay with you, like the roller coaster ride it is and you may even get back in line to ride again.
August 27, 2016
This is not going to be a review like I usually do, instead this will be a rant. It is not going to be about one book but the series in general because I do not want to spend more time in this series. I spent three days that I wish I hadn't used for this and I wished I had listened to my earlier thoughts after reading other reviews.
I picked out this book because it didn't get horrible reviews from friends. It seemed a bit interesting and different as I usually stay away from dark or horror novels. It was horrific in the beginning but that is not why I hated this book. It is because the overall feeling I was left was meh. Why? Because of the plot, character development, everything else! It went from an interesting premise into a mess.
From here on I'll just say any problems in list form. Like I said above this is going to be a rant, it is not going to come off very pretty. I will be crude if I need to be so you have been warned. I will use trigger words because that is what makes up with story and may spoilers so you have been warned again.
Also, you might be questioning why I read the five books when I hated it. Well it had an interesting premise and the first book is pretty bad. I was hoping by the next book it would get better and then I found myself halfway through so I just completed the series. And no, it did not get much better after that. But I did like the ending because it was happy and Anna did deserve it even if I could never get into her head.
First, the sexual abuse and violence. In the beginning and for most of the first book it was necessary to show how Anna starts off and to root for her. It was horrific and left nothing to the imagination. It made me cringe and I watch horror movies like a chocolate addict would eat chocolate. But the abuse kept happening and happening. It was going until the last book, and by that point everything had almost been done. It was boring, still horrific but unnecessary to the plot. It did not prove any point or help the heroine complete her journey, it was just there as a shock factor.
Second, the warning that came with this book up. It came off as condescending saying that grown ups would be okay with this book. As if only babies wouldn't be able to read this without throwing up or having nightmares. Any person would be disgusted by the acts done in this series, and it wasn't as bad as I expected. I mean it was horrific, but was it throw up worthy? No. Nightmare Material? No. It was bad but once I put the book down, it was out of my mind. It seemed as if the author put it there to drive away any one or two star rating, which clearly didn't work. If you want to read a dark book that still gets you captivated read The Last Hour of Gann or Jigsaw Man. The warning also said that everything was done above the legal but that is incorrect. Anna loses her virginity at the age of 16 and has been having orgasms from Devin since she was three weeks old. That is disgusting.
Third, was the side characters. All of them, except Alex who acted like a moody teenager, acted like a horny teenager. Every single one of them wanted to have sex with her over and over again. And did they care that she was abused and forced to become a sex slave? Not particularly. Sure Wilhelm held off for a bit, Kurt had "nice" sex with her and Aaron held out for a couple hours, but come on! Alex was the only good character because he waited until she actually loved him and then had sex with her. Why was she written in such a way that EVERYONE, even the women, fell in love with her! And just because they were nice does not mean that they were right in having sex with her. I get that she is used to sex and needs it to deal but that is not an excuse for all those men to have sex with her.
Fourth, the BDSM labels. Now I may not know a lot about BDSM but I know that it is based on consent (willingly) between all the parties. That does not happen in this book. When she is a captive in the Manor, where most of this stuff happens, she is brainwashed or coerced into doing this acts. That does not count as BDSM in my books because this is definitely not consensual. Especially, the stuff that is done in the last two books.
Fifth, the word choice. After five books written with a limited vocabulary I am sick of the words like "cock" and "pussy" They were repeated at every sex scene, and every ten pages there was another one, and made them all seem the same. This also made the writing come off as childish.
Sixth, the lack of sufficient plot. The last two books were probably the best because we dived right in the Elder/Immortals world that proved to be incredibly interesting. But it was blanketed by the violence and emotional stuff. The first three books had almost nothing and could have been condensed into one book. I kept hoping that something would happen, get in some character development but it was like there was a switch that would turn on for character changes. Nothing to make anything actually believable (that sentence was nice).
Seventh, and I swear this is the last one, was Anna herself. What kind of 11 year old who is raised in an amazing home and has a really good education believes it's alright for a 16 year old to have a sex with a 30 year old. I know she had lost her parents and knew how to deal this with sex but still, common sense? And she can't understand German? It seems like a pretty distinctive language considering she had an education. And during the current time of this series she acted like a three year old. It made sense in the beginning because she would do whatever she could to please her master and avoid pain. I got that, but she never loses that mentality for the rest of the book. When she starts to grow some defiance in her, she throws a tantrum like a child, at everyone who comes in her way. That makes her lack a certain depth needed for a main character, development that should have happened throughout the series and failed to make me root for her. She was a mismatch of traits that could have worked but needed some definite work. There were more problems but seeing how this paragraph is already pretty long and you probably get the point, that's all I'm saying.
There were two good things about this series. The mythology was an amazing idea that should have been expanded more on. The other was the ending because Anna really did deserve a happy and peaceful ending.
Overall, this book is a two star read. The two reasons I liked this book gave this book a 0.5 star, while the rest of the story was a 1.5 star. The individual ratings are:
Enslaved: 1 star
Entwined: 1 star
Embraced: 1.5 star
Ensnared: 1 star
Emerged: 2.5 star (the ending)
I picked out this book because it didn't get horrible reviews from friends. It seemed a bit interesting and different as I usually stay away from dark or horror novels. It was horrific in the beginning but that is not why I hated this book. It is because the overall feeling I was left was meh. Why? Because of the plot, character development, everything else! It went from an interesting premise into a mess.
From here on I'll just say any problems in list form. Like I said above this is going to be a rant, it is not going to come off very pretty. I will be crude if I need to be so you have been warned. I will use trigger words because that is what makes up with story and may spoilers so you have been warned again.
Also, you might be questioning why I read the five books when I hated it. Well it had an interesting premise and the first book is pretty bad. I was hoping by the next book it would get better and then I found myself halfway through so I just completed the series. And no, it did not get much better after that. But I did like the ending because it was happy and Anna did deserve it even if I could never get into her head.
First, the sexual abuse and violence. In the beginning and for most of the first book it was necessary to show how Anna starts off and to root for her. It was horrific and left nothing to the imagination. It made me cringe and I watch horror movies like a chocolate addict would eat chocolate. But the abuse kept happening and happening. It was going until the last book, and by that point everything had almost been done. It was boring, still horrific but unnecessary to the plot. It did not prove any point or help the heroine complete her journey, it was just there as a shock factor.
Second, the warning that came with this book up. It came off as condescending saying that grown ups would be okay with this book. As if only babies wouldn't be able to read this without throwing up or having nightmares. Any person would be disgusted by the acts done in this series, and it wasn't as bad as I expected. I mean it was horrific, but was it throw up worthy? No. Nightmare Material? No. It was bad but once I put the book down, it was out of my mind. It seemed as if the author put it there to drive away any one or two star rating, which clearly didn't work. If you want to read a dark book that still gets you captivated read The Last Hour of Gann or Jigsaw Man. The warning also said that everything was done above the legal but that is incorrect. Anna loses her virginity at the age of 16 and has been having orgasms from Devin since she was three weeks old. That is disgusting.
Third, was the side characters. All of them, except Alex who acted like a moody teenager, acted like a horny teenager. Every single one of them wanted to have sex with her over and over again. And did they care that she was abused and forced to become a sex slave? Not particularly. Sure Wilhelm held off for a bit, Kurt had "nice" sex with her and Aaron held out for a couple hours, but come on! Alex was the only good character because he waited until she actually loved him and then had sex with her. Why was she written in such a way that EVERYONE, even the women, fell in love with her! And just because they were nice does not mean that they were right in having sex with her. I get that she is used to sex and needs it to deal but that is not an excuse for all those men to have sex with her.
Fourth, the BDSM labels. Now I may not know a lot about BDSM but I know that it is based on consent (willingly) between all the parties. That does not happen in this book. When she is a captive in the Manor, where most of this stuff happens, she is brainwashed or coerced into doing this acts. That does not count as BDSM in my books because this is definitely not consensual. Especially, the stuff that is done in the last two books.
Fifth, the word choice. After five books written with a limited vocabulary I am sick of the words like "cock" and "pussy" They were repeated at every sex scene, and every ten pages there was another one, and made them all seem the same. This also made the writing come off as childish.
Sixth, the lack of sufficient plot. The last two books were probably the best because we dived right in the Elder/Immortals world that proved to be incredibly interesting. But it was blanketed by the violence and emotional stuff. The first three books had almost nothing and could have been condensed into one book. I kept hoping that something would happen, get in some character development but it was like there was a switch that would turn on for character changes. Nothing to make anything actually believable (that sentence was nice).
Seventh, and I swear this is the last one, was Anna herself. What kind of 11 year old who is raised in an amazing home and has a really good education believes it's alright for a 16 year old to have a sex with a 30 year old. I know she had lost her parents and knew how to deal this with sex but still, common sense? And she can't understand German? It seems like a pretty distinctive language considering she had an education. And during the current time of this series she acted like a three year old. It made sense in the beginning because she would do whatever she could to please her master and avoid pain. I got that, but she never loses that mentality for the rest of the book. When she starts to grow some defiance in her, she throws a tantrum like a child, at everyone who comes in her way. That makes her lack a certain depth needed for a main character, development that should have happened throughout the series and failed to make me root for her. She was a mismatch of traits that could have worked but needed some definite work. There were more problems but seeing how this paragraph is already pretty long and you probably get the point, that's all I'm saying.
There were two good things about this series. The mythology was an amazing idea that should have been expanded more on. The other was the ending because Anna really did deserve a happy and peaceful ending.
Overall, this book is a two star read. The two reasons I liked this book gave this book a 0.5 star, while the rest of the story was a 1.5 star. The individual ratings are:
Enslaved: 1 star
Entwined: 1 star
Embraced: 1.5 star
Ensnared: 1 star
Emerged: 2.5 star (the ending)
dnf
March 19, 2022I’m sorry. I just couldn’t finish this one. I DNFed around 50%
The premise was super interesting to me. What caused me to stop reading was a combination of things. I didn’t find myself really liking any of the characters. I wasn’t terribly fond of the love interest. The heroine was (understandably) naive and flighty and as much as I get why she was the way she was, I did not enjoy being in her head.
The book has some seriously dark content, which doesn’t bother me, but at a certain point it became repetitive and gratuitous.
I love dark romance and I will go through a lot to get to a satisfying conclusion, but when I realized I didn’t like either of the main characters and I still had at least 1500 pages left of what was likely to be a lot of rape and torture, i had to put it down. I just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I was recommended this by a lot of people.
So clearly it worked for some and I’m not saying it won’t work for you. It just didn’t work for me.
The premise was super interesting to me. What caused me to stop reading was a combination of things. I didn’t find myself really liking any of the characters. I wasn’t terribly fond of the love interest. The heroine was (understandably) naive and flighty and as much as I get why she was the way she was, I did not enjoy being in her head.
The book has some seriously dark content, which doesn’t bother me, but at a certain point it became repetitive and gratuitous.
I love dark romance and I will go through a lot to get to a satisfying conclusion, but when I realized I didn’t like either of the main characters and I still had at least 1500 pages left of what was likely to be a lot of rape and torture, i had to put it down. I just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I was recommended this by a lot of people.
So clearly it worked for some and I’m not saying it won’t work for you. It just didn’t work for me.
just-not-for-me-stay-away-hell-no
March 30, 2016self note: way too many triggers and very disturbing:/
September 23, 2020
The first thing that came to my mind once I read this book, was how the premise was so similar to that of A.A. Dark's Whitlock series.
Life of Anna box set is 5 books in 1, while Whitlock series is 7 books in 1. Despite this fact, Life of Anna (according to amazon) is 2325 pages while Whitlock is only 1161 pages. Goodness gracious. If I thought the Whitlock series was going at a snail crawl despite turning pages like a beast ... Life of Anna had me questioning whether I was turning any pages at all every time I looked at the % completed on the bottom of my kindle app.
The Life of Anna is aptly titled. The entirety of this book is about THE LIFE OF ANNA. Approximately the happenings of her life between the age of 16 or so to the age of 26. Starting to understand why the book is so long?
Now, I am assuming that if you are considering reading this book or are currently reading this book .. it's been highly recommended OR you enjoy dark reads. Have no fear, this book is indeed dark as advertised. Let's just say ... it's safe to assume that there are triggers for everything. If anything, this story is guaranteed to make even the most numb person ... feel.
Our story revolves around, mostly, our 3 main characters:
Anna (Elder Mistress/slave)
Devin (Elder/Master)
Alex (Elder son/Master)
What I found fascinating is how the author was able to introduce us to the world of the Brotherhood as it exists..free floating and intermingling with the reality of society. Most books I've come across does the opposite, it is set in the norm of society with hints of the happenings in a secret society.
The things that Anna was trained to go through, does go through, continues to go through .. is something else. She is a slave. But one that is a little more special than the others ... this special thing about her, makes her able to take more than the others as well. And more is usually what she is always given.
Our dear Anna. A lost soul in gilded cages. I can sum up Anna's life with the Brotherhood with one song...
These are the darkest clouds
To have surrounded me
Now I find my self alone caught in a cage
There's no flower to be found in here
Not withering
Or pale to me
Everyone with a friendly face
Seems to hide some secret inside
He told me he loved me
While he laughed in my face
He just led me astray
He took my virtue
I feel so cold inside
Sorrow has frozen my mind
My heart is covered
With thoughts entangled
How could it ever have felt so real?
Is there a place more lonely than I feel within?
Could I have seen?
Could I have known?
I just took it as the truth
Everyone with a friendly face
Seems to hide some secret inside
He told me he loved me
While he laughed in my face
He just led me astray
He took my virtue
I feel so cold inside
Sorrow has frozen my mind
Always there to remind me
It keeps me from believing
That someone might be there
Who'll free me and never ever leave me
-Within Temptation
Alex was Anna's light in the darkness. But you know what? hope hurts.
Hope really friggin hurts.
On behalf of her love
She no longer sleeps
Life had no longer meaning
Nothing to make her stay
She sold her soul away
I held you tight to me
You slipped away
You promised to return to me
And I believed, I believed
-Within Temptation
The web of lies. Years lost. Promises from dead men. Rituals of hate. Sucking the life out of you. Breaking you down and building back up. The endless cycle. Our dear butterfly in her gilded cage. We all know the horrors that Anna's life/situation had brought her.. but the parts that made me feel for her the most, was when those around her in "real society" (mostly the women), outside of the Brotherhood, treated her the way they did. In the moment, it seems so small of an action ... but in the grand scheme of Anna's life, to me, those moments were the nails in the coffin.
Wounded is the deer that leaps highest
And my wound it cuts so deep
Turn off the light and let me pull the plug...
...End of hope
End of love
End of time
The rest is silence
-Nightwish
Ah... but the tortured Hero and heroine. Since the beginning .. Their love was the best definition of diamond in the rough.
Would you mind if I hurt you?
Understand that I need to
Wish that I had other choices
than to harm the one I love
What have you done now?!
I know I'd better stop trying
You know that there's no denying
I won't show mercy on you now
I know, should stop believing
I know, there's no retrieving
It's over now, what have you done?
What have you done now?!
I, I've been waiting for someone like you
But now you are slipping away... oh
Why, why does fate make us suffer?
There's a curse between us, between me and you
What have you done?! What have you done?!...
...Why, why does fate make us suffer?
There's a curse between us, between me and you
-Within Temptation
There was a section of the book with constant flashbacks. Though I appreciated the author for including this... I felt it was a bit unnecessary. This section could have been included as a bonus at the end of the story.
The ending... felt a bit rushed. Could this be because the story was getting so long already? Again, the flashback scenes only added to this length.
Anna's life does end in a HEA though.
------------------------
In comparison to the Whitlock series....
Both books are very comparable in regards to level of darkness (to me). The premise of the story is very similar. The only main difference is that The Life of Anna .. was more about her life as a slave, while with Whitlock .. we had more of a dose of vengeance to the story.
The Life of Anna, as I mentioned, is aptly named. It was about her life .. as a slave. Though it was slow, we were able to witness the metamorphosis of our gilded butterfly. And there were a lot of growing pains.
For those of you who feel that there was too much sex... well, Anna was trained to take punishment AND reward with sex. And since the book was about her life and how she understood it ... it makes sense for the book to be written this way.
I give this book 4.5 stars.
If I had read this book before reading Whitlock, it might have been 5 stars. But because I read Whitlock first ... I knew the potential of the story. The flashbacks could have been a bonus scene instead of part of the main story. The ending... felt a little bit rushed.
Life of Anna box set is 5 books in 1, while Whitlock series is 7 books in 1. Despite this fact, Life of Anna (according to amazon) is 2325 pages while Whitlock is only 1161 pages. Goodness gracious. If I thought the Whitlock series was going at a snail crawl despite turning pages like a beast ... Life of Anna had me questioning whether I was turning any pages at all every time I looked at the % completed on the bottom of my kindle app.
The Life of Anna is aptly titled. The entirety of this book is about THE LIFE OF ANNA. Approximately the happenings of her life between the age of 16 or so to the age of 26. Starting to understand why the book is so long?
Now, I am assuming that if you are considering reading this book or are currently reading this book .. it's been highly recommended OR you enjoy dark reads. Have no fear, this book is indeed dark as advertised. Let's just say ... it's safe to assume that there are triggers for everything. If anything, this story is guaranteed to make even the most numb person ... feel.
Our story revolves around, mostly, our 3 main characters:
Anna (Elder Mistress/slave)
Devin (Elder/Master)
Alex (Elder son/Master)
What I found fascinating is how the author was able to introduce us to the world of the Brotherhood as it exists..free floating and intermingling with the reality of society. Most books I've come across does the opposite, it is set in the norm of society with hints of the happenings in a secret society.
The things that Anna was trained to go through, does go through, continues to go through .. is something else. She is a slave. But one that is a little more special than the others ... this special thing about her, makes her able to take more than the others as well. And more is usually what she is always given.
Our dear Anna. A lost soul in gilded cages. I can sum up Anna's life with the Brotherhood with one song...
These are the darkest clouds
To have surrounded me
Now I find my self alone caught in a cage
There's no flower to be found in here
Not withering
Or pale to me
Everyone with a friendly face
Seems to hide some secret inside
He told me he loved me
While he laughed in my face
He just led me astray
He took my virtue
I feel so cold inside
Sorrow has frozen my mind
My heart is covered
With thoughts entangled
How could it ever have felt so real?
Is there a place more lonely than I feel within?
Could I have seen?
Could I have known?
I just took it as the truth
Everyone with a friendly face
Seems to hide some secret inside
He told me he loved me
While he laughed in my face
He just led me astray
He took my virtue
I feel so cold inside
Sorrow has frozen my mind
Always there to remind me
It keeps me from believing
That someone might be there
Who'll free me and never ever leave me
-Within Temptation
Alex was Anna's light in the darkness. But you know what? hope hurts.
Hope really friggin hurts.
On behalf of her love
She no longer sleeps
Life had no longer meaning
Nothing to make her stay
She sold her soul away
I held you tight to me
You slipped away
You promised to return to me
And I believed, I believed
-Within Temptation
The web of lies. Years lost. Promises from dead men. Rituals of hate. Sucking the life out of you. Breaking you down and building back up. The endless cycle. Our dear butterfly in her gilded cage. We all know the horrors that Anna's life/situation had brought her.. but the parts that made me feel for her the most, was when those around her in "real society" (mostly the women), outside of the Brotherhood, treated her the way they did. In the moment, it seems so small of an action ... but in the grand scheme of Anna's life, to me, those moments were the nails in the coffin.
Wounded is the deer that leaps highest
And my wound it cuts so deep
Turn off the light and let me pull the plug...
...End of hope
End of love
End of time
The rest is silence
-Nightwish
Ah... but the tortured Hero and heroine. Since the beginning .. Their love was the best definition of diamond in the rough.
Would you mind if I hurt you?
Understand that I need to
Wish that I had other choices
than to harm the one I love
What have you done now?!
I know I'd better stop trying
You know that there's no denying
I won't show mercy on you now
I know, should stop believing
I know, there's no retrieving
It's over now, what have you done?
What have you done now?!
I, I've been waiting for someone like you
But now you are slipping away... oh
Why, why does fate make us suffer?
There's a curse between us, between me and you
What have you done?! What have you done?!...
...Why, why does fate make us suffer?
There's a curse between us, between me and you
-Within Temptation
There was a section of the book with constant flashbacks. Though I appreciated the author for including this... I felt it was a bit unnecessary. This section could have been included as a bonus at the end of the story.
The ending... felt a bit rushed. Could this be because the story was getting so long already? Again, the flashback scenes only added to this length.
Anna's life does end in a HEA though.
------------------------
In comparison to the Whitlock series....
Both books are very comparable in regards to level of darkness (to me). The premise of the story is very similar. The only main difference is that The Life of Anna .. was more about her life as a slave, while with Whitlock .. we had more of a dose of vengeance to the story.
The Life of Anna, as I mentioned, is aptly named. It was about her life .. as a slave. Though it was slow, we were able to witness the metamorphosis of our gilded butterfly. And there were a lot of growing pains.
For those of you who feel that there was too much sex... well, Anna was trained to take punishment AND reward with sex. And since the book was about her life and how she understood it ... it makes sense for the book to be written this way.
I give this book 4.5 stars.
If I had read this book before reading Whitlock, it might have been 5 stars. But because I read Whitlock first ... I knew the potential of the story. The flashbacks could have been a bonus scene instead of part of the main story. The ending... felt a little bit rushed.
April 24, 2021
Dnf at 28%.
I admit I was excited to read this series cuz dark erotica/dark romance is my fucking jam. But .....it wasn't dark damnit. It bored me to death. You can just stay on a porn site whole day instead of reading this and you won't be missing out on much.
I agree that for me, triggers are almost non-existent, so I was looking forward to reading a fucked up book with so many warnings. This didn't measure up, not at all.
I don't even have the energy to rant about this one, I am that irritated. Just wanna say that I forcefully dragged my *yawn* bored *yawn* brain till 28% in this book and my reactions volleyed between pity and disappointment. Nothing more, nothing less.
One character that I did like was Devin cuz he actually managed to accomplish goals however fucked up they might be) by using his brain, manipulation and depravity. Others were idiots afraid to do anything, either bad or good. But then I don't want to like Devin cuz.....well, an indication towards infant sex 😬
I admit I was excited to read this series cuz dark erotica/dark romance is my fucking jam. But .....it wasn't dark damnit. It bored me to death. You can just stay on a porn site whole day instead of reading this and you won't be missing out on much.
I agree that for me, triggers are almost non-existent, so I was looking forward to reading a fucked up book with so many warnings. This didn't measure up, not at all.
I don't even have the energy to rant about this one, I am that irritated. Just wanna say that I forcefully dragged my *yawn* bored *yawn* brain till 28% in this book and my reactions volleyed between pity and disappointment. Nothing more, nothing less.
One character that I did like was Devin cuz he actually managed to accomplish goals however fucked up they might be) by using his brain, manipulation and depravity. Others were idiots afraid to do anything, either bad or good. But then I don't want to like Devin cuz.....well, an indication towards infant sex 😬
September 10, 2021
Not easy set of books to read. Some of the things that Anna did made me dislike like her a lot and wished maybe she belong with Devin since she was so ungrateful, rude and acted in such stupid ways. Wilhelm was careless and could have done better to help Anna and keep her safe. Kurt was okay but Aaron was just a horny toad until Anna turned him down then he became a true friend. Hugo was a good guy as well as Peter but I truly loved Alex and the love he and Anna shared. Her life was beyond extreme and hard but everything must end. I’m just sorry of the outcome of Devin. I wished for worse.
June 3, 2015
Holy shit I finally finished. I'm wrecked this book made me feel.
May 15, 2022
Dnf
I love dark romances and all, but romanticizing sex trafficking is where I draw the line.
I love dark romances and all, but romanticizing sex trafficking is where I draw the line.
February 9, 2016
*****WARNING!! WARNING!!*****
If you are looking for shiney happy people, stop now!!! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT read this book! Read the author's warning and note! This story is not for everyone! You have been warned!! Do not go reading and then cry about how dark this story is!
I've read a lot of dark erotica stories, and if there is a warning attached, I'm all over it! It's like a triple dog dare! I've got to read!! But never have I ever read a story this dark. I'm beginning to think Anna's story takes place in Hell, and Devin is Satan himself. Make a list of all the horrors you can imagine, and that is Anna's life. This demonic roller coaster kept me up past my bedtime. The author has written this nightmare to make it feel so real, I can hear the screaming long after I've stopped reading...
This story consumed me. I could not put it down!!! If you enjoy your erotica on the darker side, I highly recommend you read The Life of Anna...if you dare...
Bravo, Marissa Honeycutt! I wish I could give this more than 5 stars!!
Fav quotes:
"I cried out but the moment I did, the pain became erotic. Something inside me knew I was pleasing my Master by crying out. His pleasure in my pain became my pleasure."
"Fate lies down the path for those strong enough to walk it."
"Numbness gave way to desire. Desire felt better than anything. Desire took the pain away. This she had been taught."
"Sometimes people leave such a deep imprint on our hearts that they never go away."
"He was alone in his suffering. Like she had always been."
"You are my husband. My love. My life."
If you are looking for shiney happy people, stop now!!! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT read this book! Read the author's warning and note! This story is not for everyone! You have been warned!! Do not go reading and then cry about how dark this story is!
I've read a lot of dark erotica stories, and if there is a warning attached, I'm all over it! It's like a triple dog dare! I've got to read!! But never have I ever read a story this dark. I'm beginning to think Anna's story takes place in Hell, and Devin is Satan himself. Make a list of all the horrors you can imagine, and that is Anna's life. This demonic roller coaster kept me up past my bedtime. The author has written this nightmare to make it feel so real, I can hear the screaming long after I've stopped reading...
This story consumed me. I could not put it down!!! If you enjoy your erotica on the darker side, I highly recommend you read The Life of Anna...if you dare...
Bravo, Marissa Honeycutt! I wish I could give this more than 5 stars!!
Fav quotes:
"I cried out but the moment I did, the pain became erotic. Something inside me knew I was pleasing my Master by crying out. His pleasure in my pain became my pleasure."
"Fate lies down the path for those strong enough to walk it."
"Numbness gave way to desire. Desire felt better than anything. Desire took the pain away. This she had been taught."
"Sometimes people leave such a deep imprint on our hearts that they never go away."
"He was alone in his suffering. Like she had always been."
"You are my husband. My love. My life."
April 19, 2015
Once you start you can't stop
Anna's story will suck you in from the very first page and won't let go until the very last word. This is five books in one and is a very twisted and dark tale about a girl named Anna and the way that her story unfolds is heart wrenching. While reading this I went through the gambit of emotions, I was happy, I was sad, I laughed, and I cried, I got upset and angry, seething, and sickened at points. It is both disturbing and erotic. It is graphic and violent, but still you can't turn away. You have to actually experience it. That's what this story is, an experience that Marissa Honeycutt has written so well that you are IN the world with Anna, you feel for her, hurt for her, and are shocked to find out just who and what she is. Hers is a story that takes you into a a dark world unlike any you have ever known. I don't usually go this dark, this is extremely dark! I will say though that it is worth reading all the way through to get the entire story.
I was given this book free in exchange for an honest review.
Anna's story will suck you in from the very first page and won't let go until the very last word. This is five books in one and is a very twisted and dark tale about a girl named Anna and the way that her story unfolds is heart wrenching. While reading this I went through the gambit of emotions, I was happy, I was sad, I laughed, and I cried, I got upset and angry, seething, and sickened at points. It is both disturbing and erotic. It is graphic and violent, but still you can't turn away. You have to actually experience it. That's what this story is, an experience that Marissa Honeycutt has written so well that you are IN the world with Anna, you feel for her, hurt for her, and are shocked to find out just who and what she is. Hers is a story that takes you into a a dark world unlike any you have ever known. I don't usually go this dark, this is extremely dark! I will say though that it is worth reading all the way through to get the entire story.
I was given this book free in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2024
Very dark and depraved. I felt there were more "shock factors" placed in the book without any depth to the story itself. The heroine was just extremely weak, no character growth until the end. And There were just too many bad things happening, and nothing else. No story. Just punishments and tortureb agonizing things done to her, and explained in great detail. I found myself just skipping so many scenes to see if there would be depth to the story, but unfortunately, it fell flat.
Rating 2.3 🌟
Rating 2.3 🌟
July 6, 2024
Whew!! This book! This series! It is DARK! Darker than dark. It had me screaming and sobbing and in all of my emotions. The pain and torture that the FMC went through is just heartbreaking. I’m not even sure you can call it a dark romance. At least not until the end. While there are some love interests throughout the book, it is mainly about a woman’s survival and staying true to yourself going through horrible and unimaginable circumstances. I definitely will never pick this book up again but it was worth the read.
June 12, 2015
The first three books would have rated 3 plus stars. The or 4th or maybe last half of the 4th and all of the 5th book brought it up to 4 starts for me.
So I am a bit at a loss as to what to say about this series. I may even have to even edit this review because I'm not sure how I feel. First off I am not rating or reviewing each book separately. I am doing the series as a whole.
So lets start with the basics. This book is dark. Now I love love love dark books, so when I heard that this one is super duper dark I was all in. I can honestly say books 1 2 and 3 are possibly the darkest books I have ever read in my life. Ever! If you have anything that triggers you (which I don't) this series is not for you. My thoughts during the dark portions were so confusing. I kept thinking it couldn't get darker but it did and my heart just hurt for Anna the main character. I really felt hopeless for her. I don't even know how to describe the darkness to you but if you can think of the worst possible things that a man, actually many men, could do to one girl it's in this book. Hell there is stuff you couldn't even think up and it's in here. Through books 1,2 and 3 I kept thinking I'm not sure how I can rate this. I'm not sure I want to even finish this. Crap the author is going to be at a signing I'm going to and I have no words...what would I say to this author. I wasn't sure if I liked or hated the books. At that point I wasnt sure I could give more than a 3 star and yet I wasnt sure of that either.
So why when I felt so conflicted did I keep on reading? I kept thinking there had to be something that gives here. There had to be some sun that will show through the darkness...maybe even just a peak. I had to see how it ended.
I'm not sure where the rays of light actually began, I think it was somewhere in book 4. When you get the box set, obviously, you have all the books of the series in one and of course you can see when you are on a new chapter but I was on such a binge that I don't know where the I can deal with this and where it is going started but it was in NY. I don't want to say more but anyone who has read it will know what I'm talking about. Thank goodness for the last book it really brought everything together and tied everything up and actually softened my view of the series as a whole. Although I wanted it to not let me forget how I felt through 3 whole books, because this in not some series you willy nilly recommend to just anybody. Honestly I'm not sure if I would recommend even to dark readers because those 3 books were soooooo dark. But yet I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it either. See this series has left me dumbfounded.
Also I would be remiss in not mentioning that this book has "other worldly" stuff in it. I'm not sure what the right term is. Paranormal? I'm sure there is a right definition. I didn't know that going in and had I, I might not have read it because that's just not normally my thing. Did it bother me? Not really. There were some interesting factors with this other world type of thing going on. But yeah, know that it is in there just in case you don't like that stuff.
Also know that even though it is dark and brutal it is really well written. I have read a ton of books some of which was crap. Whether I liked the series or didn't like the series I did realize that it was a well written series
Standalone: Obviously not. It is series and needs to be read in order
Characters: I can't even talk about them. I feel like I would give to much away. Let's just say thank goodness for Anna's friends.
Sex: There is hot sex. But there is brutal sex, forced sex and stuff you just cant even imagine
I'm gonna stop here and go figure out the code for spoilers before I put my final thought in on what I wished I had seen Anna do and I so I'll be back...after I recover.
So I am a bit at a loss as to what to say about this series. I may even have to even edit this review because I'm not sure how I feel. First off I am not rating or reviewing each book separately. I am doing the series as a whole.
So lets start with the basics. This book is dark. Now I love love love dark books, so when I heard that this one is super duper dark I was all in. I can honestly say books 1 2 and 3 are possibly the darkest books I have ever read in my life. Ever! If you have anything that triggers you (which I don't) this series is not for you. My thoughts during the dark portions were so confusing. I kept thinking it couldn't get darker but it did and my heart just hurt for Anna the main character. I really felt hopeless for her. I don't even know how to describe the darkness to you but if you can think of the worst possible things that a man, actually many men, could do to one girl it's in this book. Hell there is stuff you couldn't even think up and it's in here. Through books 1,2 and 3 I kept thinking I'm not sure how I can rate this. I'm not sure I want to even finish this. Crap the author is going to be at a signing I'm going to and I have no words...what would I say to this author. I wasn't sure if I liked or hated the books. At that point I wasnt sure I could give more than a 3 star and yet I wasnt sure of that either.
So why when I felt so conflicted did I keep on reading? I kept thinking there had to be something that gives here. There had to be some sun that will show through the darkness...maybe even just a peak. I had to see how it ended.
I'm not sure where the rays of light actually began, I think it was somewhere in book 4. When you get the box set, obviously, you have all the books of the series in one and of course you can see when you are on a new chapter but I was on such a binge that I don't know where the I can deal with this and where it is going started but it was in NY. I don't want to say more but anyone who has read it will know what I'm talking about. Thank goodness for the last book it really brought everything together and tied everything up and actually softened my view of the series as a whole. Although I wanted it to not let me forget how I felt through 3 whole books, because this in not some series you willy nilly recommend to just anybody. Honestly I'm not sure if I would recommend even to dark readers because those 3 books were soooooo dark. But yet I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it either. See this series has left me dumbfounded.
Also I would be remiss in not mentioning that this book has "other worldly" stuff in it. I'm not sure what the right term is. Paranormal? I'm sure there is a right definition. I didn't know that going in and had I, I might not have read it because that's just not normally my thing. Did it bother me? Not really. There were some interesting factors with this other world type of thing going on. But yeah, know that it is in there just in case you don't like that stuff.
Also know that even though it is dark and brutal it is really well written. I have read a ton of books some of which was crap. Whether I liked the series or didn't like the series I did realize that it was a well written series
Standalone: Obviously not. It is series and needs to be read in order
Characters: I can't even talk about them. I feel like I would give to much away. Let's just say thank goodness for Anna's friends.
Sex: There is hot sex. But there is brutal sex, forced sex and stuff you just cant even imagine
I'm gonna stop here and go figure out the code for spoilers before I put my final thought in on what I wished I had seen Anna do and I so I'll be back...after I recover.
July 17, 2015
OMG!!! It has been a few days since I consumed this series... and I.. well... Its... OMG.. I have no words...
The Life of Anna is swirling about in my head... I can't even get a grasp on the amazing-ness of this series...
I have not slept well since I began reading this series... I say I consumed it in 3 days... but in reality.. It consumed me!
There is so much in this series... it is hard to write a review without giving away critical spoilers... so let me say...
If you love dark, despairingly dark and violent books with a teeny bit of fantasy in it all tied together with a wicked bow... then READ THIS!!!
Now, yes.. it is about some very very dark subject matter... and the life that Anna endures... from day THREE of birth... it's too much to even wrap my head around it. I honestly feel that if it didn't have that element of fantasy in it.. my mind would not have been able to take this story... I was able to compartmentalize it in my mind that it was a fantasy... and when things got utterly dark.. some of the fantasy kicked in the story.. and I could breathe again...
Now the main characters are:
Anna - a beautiful ballerina who is born into a lifestyle that even her parents tried to protect her from...
Devin - now let me tell you that the fact that his name is one letter different from the word Devil, is NOT a coincidence... This man is VILE!!!! Greed births an evil soul in him.. and he will abuse Anna to death and back several times to get what he wants.
Alex - A prince on a white horse that will endure utter brokeness in his attempt to save Anna.
There are a slew of characters in this book, some evil, some passing as evil, and some stuck in this lifestyle having to play their part in order to save Anna... They are all intricate characters, and all lead to one of the most interesting and original dark stories I have ever read.
There is so much going on behind the story and throughout the story that you don't exactly know where it is going... Yes, there is major shock factors, and some very very deprave and dark scenes... but you need to go dark, really dark, to be able to hope for the light that will give Anna a life, a happy life. And you will be all in 100%, suffering through some of the deplorable scenes to get there, because you want it sooooooooooo badly for her!!!
The Life of Anna is swirling about in my head... I can't even get a grasp on the amazing-ness of this series...
I have not slept well since I began reading this series... I say I consumed it in 3 days... but in reality.. It consumed me!
There is so much in this series... it is hard to write a review without giving away critical spoilers... so let me say...
If you love dark, despairingly dark and violent books with a teeny bit of fantasy in it all tied together with a wicked bow... then READ THIS!!!
Now, yes.. it is about some very very dark subject matter... and the life that Anna endures... from day THREE of birth... it's too much to even wrap my head around it. I honestly feel that if it didn't have that element of fantasy in it.. my mind would not have been able to take this story... I was able to compartmentalize it in my mind that it was a fantasy... and when things got utterly dark.. some of the fantasy kicked in the story.. and I could breathe again...
Now the main characters are:
Anna - a beautiful ballerina who is born into a lifestyle that even her parents tried to protect her from...
Devin - now let me tell you that the fact that his name is one letter different from the word Devil, is NOT a coincidence... This man is VILE!!!! Greed births an evil soul in him.. and he will abuse Anna to death and back several times to get what he wants.
Alex - A prince on a white horse that will endure utter brokeness in his attempt to save Anna.
There are a slew of characters in this book, some evil, some passing as evil, and some stuck in this lifestyle having to play their part in order to save Anna... They are all intricate characters, and all lead to one of the most interesting and original dark stories I have ever read.
There is so much going on behind the story and throughout the story that you don't exactly know where it is going... Yes, there is major shock factors, and some very very deprave and dark scenes... but you need to go dark, really dark, to be able to hope for the light that will give Anna a life, a happy life. And you will be all in 100%, suffering through some of the deplorable scenes to get there, because you want it sooooooooooo badly for her!!!
April 7, 2015
This series has taken me on an emotional journey. It made me happy, sad, angry, appalled. All of those sometimes within minutes of the last. I don't usually read paranormal type books, and to be honest I was a little unaware of that detail when I began reading them. As the story starts you meet Anna, she is a young girl naive and oblivious of the fact that she is and has been abused most of her young life. You meet Jack & Devin whom are her gentle abusers ( does gentle abuse even make sense) On her 16th birthday the extreme abuse begins and life as she has known it changes. She has to be trained! On her 20th birthday she is returned to Devin by her trainer and former guardian Jack, she is to become Devin's mistress. Throughout these books she is abused by some and loved by more men than you can count. You will cry for Anna, You will laugh with Anna. You will most likely pray for her happily ever after, but you wont know if she gets in until you read the whole story... So get on that... ASAP!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 706 reviews