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Stealing Innocents
Those who dare to scratch the surface of ordinary, everyday life may be horrified to find a sick underbelly beneath—a nightmare world populated by villains and victims, predators and prey, where the rules of society no longer apply.
Where you’ll find people like Danny, the boy who sells himself to pay for his father’s gambling debts and ends up in a situation more twisted than he ever imagined. Or Troy, the cop whose obsession with saving a brutalized human trafficking victim turns deadly. Or Drew, the mental patient who begins to suspect his nightly delusions of abuse by his doctor are actually real. Or David, the cuckolded husband who decides the best way to get revenge is to seduce his wife’s barely legal son.
Stealing Innocents is an exploration of our darkest human impulses, where sex is power, love is horror, and there’s no such thing as a happy ending.
READER DISCRETION ADVISED.
This collection contains three edited second editions stories that were previously individually published, plus one all-new story, by Lisa Henry writing as Cari Waites.
Word 70,700; page 273
Where you’ll find people like Danny, the boy who sells himself to pay for his father’s gambling debts and ends up in a situation more twisted than he ever imagined. Or Troy, the cop whose obsession with saving a brutalized human trafficking victim turns deadly. Or Drew, the mental patient who begins to suspect his nightly delusions of abuse by his doctor are actually real. Or David, the cuckolded husband who decides the best way to get revenge is to seduce his wife’s barely legal son.
Stealing Innocents is an exploration of our darkest human impulses, where sex is power, love is horror, and there’s no such thing as a happy ending.
READER DISCRETION ADVISED.
This collection contains three edited second editions stories that were previously individually published, plus one all-new story, by Lisa Henry writing as Cari Waites.
Word 70,700; page 273
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 9, 2016
111 people are currently reading
746 people want to read
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November 14, 2015So, this was a thing that I wrote.
Under a different name.
Mostly because it's dark. Really dark. An actual experiment into how dark could I write. Turns out: very.
No HEAs here. Well, not unless you tilt your head and squint. But still probably not.
When the team at Riptide asked me what genre these stories were, I emailed back "Is twisted mindfuck a genre?"
So if you're looking for stories with rape and torture, twisted mindfucks and no HEA, this might be your thing.
Under a different name.
Mostly because it's dark. Really dark. An actual experiment into how dark could I write. Turns out: very.
No HEAs here. Well, not unless you tilt your head and squint. But still probably not.
When the team at Riptide asked me what genre these stories were, I emailed back "Is twisted mindfuck a genre?"
So if you're looking for stories with rape and torture, twisted mindfucks and no HEA, this might be your thing.
April 8, 2019
3 Stars
Danny is eighteen, his mother was dead and his father was an inveterate gambler. His father owed money to a casino, so he was sold to the casino owner to pay off his father’s debt…
Well, this story took me out of my comfort zone and not in a good way. It was too much for my taste. I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it at all but it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be! Told in single POV, 1st person. It’s a standalone novella. There is a huge age gap (one is eighteen and the other one is in his forties) and I’m not really into Daddy/boy kink. There were three other short stories (Crazy, First and Only, and Falling Angels) but I didn’t read them. So this rating is just for "Gamble Everything". Overall, it was an okay read and hope you enjoy it more than me!
Danny is eighteen, his mother was dead and his father was an inveterate gambler. His father owed money to a casino, so he was sold to the casino owner to pay off his father’s debt…
Well, this story took me out of my comfort zone and not in a good way. It was too much for my taste. I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it at all but it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be! Told in single POV, 1st person. It’s a standalone novella. There is a huge age gap (one is eighteen and the other one is in his forties) and I’m not really into Daddy/boy kink. There were three other short stories (Crazy, First and Only, and Falling Angels) but I didn’t read them. So this rating is just for "Gamble Everything". Overall, it was an okay read and hope you enjoy it more than me!
December 17, 2017
5 DARK stars
I struggled with the rating because OK, this author surely knows how to write super DARK and twisted mind games, but I don't really know how I feel now that I finished it. In awe of the writing, shocked by the stories hoping I won't have nightmares? All of them and some more.
This book has 4 different stories. And NO happy endings, not even a positive thought.
Just like the blurbs reveals:
And the author did mention this was:
When I bought this one I was really searching for a dark story. And I got it.
The writing was better than I expected and the stories surprised me big time! Each and every one of them! I love to be surprised and what I got here got me rereading the last scenes just to be sure I didn't misunderstood.
These stories break your heart, make you want to scream with the injustice and royally play with your mind!
This book is NOT for the faint of heart and this is definitely not for everyone.
I adore great written dark stories. So this was perfect for me!
What is frightening is that these stories feel SO real and the truth is they do happen. In real life.
I'm shocked by the author's great talent in putting something like this on the paper, adding great writing and well giving us something really dark. So 5 stars from me!
I struggled with the rating because OK, this author surely knows how to write super DARK and twisted mind games, but I don't really know how I feel now that I finished it. In awe of the writing, shocked by the stories hoping I won't have nightmares? All of them and some more.
This book has 4 different stories. And NO happy endings, not even a positive thought.
Just like the blurbs reveals:
"sex is power, love is horror, and there’s no such thing as a happy ending"
And the author did mention this was:
"an actual experiment into how dark could I write. Turns out: very."
When I bought this one I was really searching for a dark story. And I got it.
The writing was better than I expected and the stories surprised me big time! Each and every one of them! I love to be surprised and what I got here got me rereading the last scenes just to be sure I didn't misunderstood.
These stories break your heart, make you want to scream with the injustice and royally play with your mind!
This book is NOT for the faint of heart and this is definitely not for everyone.
I adore great written dark stories. So this was perfect for me!
What is frightening is that these stories feel SO real and the truth is they do happen. In real life.
I'm shocked by the author's great talent in putting something like this on the paper, adding great writing and well giving us something really dark. So 5 stars from me!
October 2, 2021
I don't usually do this, but I am gonna spell this out this time to avoid low ratings.
[image error]
1st story----> Gamble Everything
4.25 Stars *****
my thoughts
2nd story-----> Crazy
4 Stars *****
my thoughts
3rd story----> First and Only
3 Stars ***
4th story----> Falling Angels
4.5 stars ****
my thoughts
Four fucked up stories, none of them written for snowflakes.😖
[image error]
[image error]
1st story----> Gamble Everything
4.25 Stars *****
my thoughts
2nd story-----> Crazy
4 Stars *****
my thoughts
3rd story----> First and Only
3 Stars ***
4th story----> Falling Angels
4.5 stars ****
my thoughts
Four fucked up stories, none of them written for snowflakes.😖
[image error]
Want to read
March 22, 2016Today, I just got my mind....
.... when I saw this...
OMG! Lisa Henry is that mysterious dark-erotica author, Cari Waites! This could only mean that we are in for lots of naughty wicked stuff to come!
I can't wait! Cari writes delicious out-of-the-box dark and downright depraved stories. It's like a siren call to me. I am weak to the allure of her dark erotica and Lisa is without restraints when she's Cari Waites. No HEA? No problemo, all the more welcome.
Stealing Innocents is a compilation of Cari aka Lisa Henry's previous books which I have read and adored to bits and pieces.
From reading the blurb here, I believe this book consist of the following stories:-
STORY#1:
Gamble EverythingIt brought me to Cloud9 and I get to stay in Subspace for quite some time. Ahhh~~ remembering it gives me full-body tingles and lady-boner. [MY REVIEW]
STORY#2:
CrazyAnother successful braingasm + lady-boner. Noncon + Straitjacket made my day. So helpless and vunerable. <3
[MY REVIEW]
STORY#3:
Falling AngelsEven I, got speechless over this dark piece.
[MY REVIEW]
STORY#4: I have yet to read the 4th story which was a new addition specially written for this compilation.
GIMME, GIMME, GIMME!
* 19th November 2015
March 21, 2017
Am I really surprised that Cari Waites is Lisa Henry? Nope. That woman's been giving me anxiety ever since I first read a book by her in 2012. And that's a compliment.
For the record: this is a collection of twisted stories. There is no romance, there are no happy endings. Heed the warnings.
I'd recommend 'Stealing Innocents' to MM readers who like the darker side of things.
'Gamble Everything'
Rating: 4 stars
When I first read this in 2014, I waffled between 2 and 4 stars. On the one hand, my mind was blown by the sheer perversity. On the other hand, my mind was blown by the sheer perversity. Do you see my dilemma? I ended up going with 3 stars. This time around, I was perfectly fine with giving a full 4 stars. I think I could enjoyed this more because I already knew what to expect. Age play definitely isn't my kink. But daddy kink, humiliation, and orgasm denial I can get behind. Yet what really stands out are the mind games that Peter- er, Daddy plays. I have an almost grudging respect for how thoroughly he broke down Daniel.
'Crazy'
Rating: 3.5 stars
They said I was crazy. I said they were crazy. They outvoted me.
This was a mix of heartbreak and second-guessing. I'm still not sure what was reality and what was delusion. I couldn't decide whether I wanted Drew to be sane or not. Which one would have been a better option? In any case, this was an excellently written mindfuck, with a side of humiliation kink and bondage. And the sex really was the side-show, this short was first and foremost about the constant hopelessness that Drew feels. Despite being so short, it packed a punch.
'First and Only'
Rating: 4 stars
The author almost had me fooled. For a few minutes, I thought that David and Sage could actually salvage something and have a somewhat-healthy relationship. I was wrong, of course. There's an extra level of twistedness to 'First and Only' because it's told from the POV of the abuser, David. Readers get a front-row seat to David's thought process as he manipulates his step-son. It was sickening. And yet the ending left me feeling vindicated. It was wholly unexpected, but very much so deserved. It could even be a happy ending, if you squint your eyes and tilt your head to the side.
'Falling Angels
After reading reviews for this short, I decided to skip it. I don't think I could handle it. The Island, another story about an enslaved young man, was my first read by Lisa Henry, and is still one of my favourites. It messed me up even with the happy ending.
Review copy provided through NetGalley.
For the record: this is a collection of twisted stories. There is no romance, there are no happy endings. Heed the warnings.
I'd recommend 'Stealing Innocents' to MM readers who like the darker side of things.
'Gamble Everything'
Rating: 4 stars
When I first read this in 2014, I waffled between 2 and 4 stars. On the one hand, my mind was blown by the sheer perversity. On the other hand, my mind was blown by the sheer perversity. Do you see my dilemma? I ended up going with 3 stars. This time around, I was perfectly fine with giving a full 4 stars. I think I could enjoyed this more because I already knew what to expect. Age play definitely isn't my kink. But daddy kink, humiliation, and orgasm denial I can get behind. Yet what really stands out are the mind games that Peter- er, Daddy plays. I have an almost grudging respect for how thoroughly he broke down Daniel.
'Crazy'
Rating: 3.5 stars
They said I was crazy. I said they were crazy. They outvoted me.
This was a mix of heartbreak and second-guessing. I'm still not sure what was reality and what was delusion. I couldn't decide whether I wanted Drew to be sane or not. Which one would have been a better option? In any case, this was an excellently written mindfuck, with a side of humiliation kink and bondage. And the sex really was the side-show, this short was first and foremost about the constant hopelessness that Drew feels. Despite being so short, it packed a punch.
'First and Only'
Rating: 4 stars
The author almost had me fooled. For a few minutes, I thought that David and Sage could actually salvage something and have a somewhat-healthy relationship. I was wrong, of course. There's an extra level of twistedness to 'First and Only' because it's told from the POV of the abuser, David. Readers get a front-row seat to David's thought process as he manipulates his step-son. It was sickening. And yet the ending left me feeling vindicated. It was wholly unexpected, but very much so deserved. It could even be a happy ending, if you squint your eyes and tilt your head to the side.
'Falling Angels
After reading reviews for this short, I decided to skip it. I don't think I could handle it. The Island, another story about an enslaved young man, was my first read by Lisa Henry, and is still one of my favourites. It messed me up even with the happy ending.
Review copy provided through NetGalley.
January 25, 2016
Stealing innocents completely catches the essence of these four stories. There are no happy endings in this book and innocence is cruelly ripped away from each of the characters. Warning, this book is not for romance lovers. Readers who must have a happily ever after should keep moving along. This book is not for you. Those who enjoy twisted, depraved violations, this book is for you. If I did not know better, I would say Ms. Waites' family tree contains Chinese ancestry. Because we do not write happily ever afters and someone always dies horribly. That someone is not the villain either.
Read the rest of my review on my blog! Follow the link... La Crimson Femme's Dungeon.
*provided by NetGalley
Read the rest of my review on my blog! Follow the link... La Crimson Femme's Dungeon.
*provided by NetGalley
January 27, 2016
OMG am I sick in the head or something? I actually couldn't put this book down even though I thought I might throw up on some occasions.
I read the warnings:
Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes: drug use, dubious consent, emotional abuse, explicit violence, heavy kink, non-consent, self-harm, sexual assault, child abuse
Totally became inquisitive. Its like a sign that says ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK you think, oh, why is that then? Maybe I'll take a peek, well, that was me with this book.
Danny is only 18 years of age. His Mother left at an early age. His Father is a gambler with a huge problem, he owes money to Casino's all over.
Danny is used to 'helping his Dad' but he didn't quite know what he was getting himself into with this kind of help. Oh no sir E!
Danny doesn't have any sexual experience. He's attracted to girls, but man oh man his experiences are going to be mighty confusing to him now.
He does these acts to pay off his Father's debt, but now he is "owned" by the new man he is to call Daddy.
This is pretty fucked up to say the least [no I don't swear easily but I need to in this instance]
My mind was going from "what the hell" to "how can you feel like that"
Its dark alright
Its kinky alright
Its disgusting in every way imaginable, but compulsive reading because you don't quite know how to get your bloody mind around it!
I read on and on. Gasping.
I had aches in places that hurt I didn't know I had!
The author states:
Stealing Innocents is an exploration of our darkest human impulses, where sex is power, love is horror, and there’s no such thing as a happy ending
Boy is she right.
Innocent people to start with
Knowledgeable about all sorts of 'stuff' come the end.
There are three stories in this book. I have just highlighted the first one.
The second is about Troy. He's a cop trying to deal with Human Trafficking.
The third is about Drew who is in a mental institution who has dream in the night, about his Doctor, are they real?
WARNING
You need to think if you are disgusted by kinky sex, abuse, men using men, many men using a boy without permission, all sorts of sexual devices being used in orfaces unimaginable, then this is not for you.
I have read it, this author has written it well, but I am middle aged and think this is more for the TOP SHELF kind of read. It really is sexually explicite in such graphic detail.
The warning only touches the surface. I think that's why [like me] DON'T means....just gotta go and see........
I did and I was shocked.
BUT I still read the three stories to the end.
Why? Because each had a hidden message. Each was so understandable for the reasons they got into these situations, I can't explain why I'm giving this 4 stars, my bum cheeks are tense just writing this review.
I am not easily shocked, and I wasn't, just in some parts disgusted to think that this may actually be true in someone's life somewhere, if so, they need help.
Why did I read it?
The same way you may choose to read it, CURIOSITY when you see the words of WARNING.
I was given this book to read and review by Riptide Publishing via Net galley
I read the warnings:
Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes: drug use, dubious consent, emotional abuse, explicit violence, heavy kink, non-consent, self-harm, sexual assault, child abuse
Totally became inquisitive. Its like a sign that says ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK you think, oh, why is that then? Maybe I'll take a peek, well, that was me with this book.
Danny is only 18 years of age. His Mother left at an early age. His Father is a gambler with a huge problem, he owes money to Casino's all over.
Danny is used to 'helping his Dad' but he didn't quite know what he was getting himself into with this kind of help. Oh no sir E!
Danny doesn't have any sexual experience. He's attracted to girls, but man oh man his experiences are going to be mighty confusing to him now.
He does these acts to pay off his Father's debt, but now he is "owned" by the new man he is to call Daddy.
This is pretty fucked up to say the least [no I don't swear easily but I need to in this instance]
My mind was going from "what the hell" to "how can you feel like that"
Its dark alright
Its kinky alright
Its disgusting in every way imaginable, but compulsive reading because you don't quite know how to get your bloody mind around it!
I read on and on. Gasping.
I had aches in places that hurt I didn't know I had!
The author states:
Stealing Innocents is an exploration of our darkest human impulses, where sex is power, love is horror, and there’s no such thing as a happy ending
Boy is she right.
Innocent people to start with
Knowledgeable about all sorts of 'stuff' come the end.
There are three stories in this book. I have just highlighted the first one.
The second is about Troy. He's a cop trying to deal with Human Trafficking.
The third is about Drew who is in a mental institution who has dream in the night, about his Doctor, are they real?
WARNING
You need to think if you are disgusted by kinky sex, abuse, men using men, many men using a boy without permission, all sorts of sexual devices being used in orfaces unimaginable, then this is not for you.
I have read it, this author has written it well, but I am middle aged and think this is more for the TOP SHELF kind of read. It really is sexually explicite in such graphic detail.
The warning only touches the surface. I think that's why [like me] DON'T means....just gotta go and see........
I did and I was shocked.
BUT I still read the three stories to the end.
Why? Because each had a hidden message. Each was so understandable for the reasons they got into these situations, I can't explain why I'm giving this 4 stars, my bum cheeks are tense just writing this review.
I am not easily shocked, and I wasn't, just in some parts disgusted to think that this may actually be true in someone's life somewhere, if so, they need help.
Why did I read it?
The same way you may choose to read it, CURIOSITY when you see the words of WARNING.
I was given this book to read and review by Riptide Publishing via Net galley
Read
January 15, 2016I had to remind myself a few many times of the following, while reading this book:
- Lisa Henry/Cari Waites is a nice person. She warned her readers that this book was going to be a mind-fuck. She wasn't kidding.
- The scenes in the book aren't real - this is fictional.
- The characters aren't real - they're all fictional.
- It's okay to cry in rage and in fear and in sheer terror.
The characters, the scenes, the terrible things happening in this book aren't real. This is the stuff of nightmares. And when I approached the words on page from that perspective, for a few moments I could pretend it was maybe okay to be oddly fascinated by the horrific happenings inside. That, because this is a work of fiction, it was maybe okay to not recoil at the terror within.
And then I realized that while this book may be fiction, may be just the dark imaginings of a terrific writer, the stories told here do happen. Behind closed doors, in the house next door, in basements hidden from prying eyes, out of desperation, and born from the sick minds of sociopaths and psychopaths - this shit happens.
Human trafficking is a real thing. It's not entirely unfeasible that a compulsive gambler would allow his barely legal son to sell himself to pay the debts, and then pay the price for doing so. It's not completely out of the realm of possibility that a doctor in a mental hospital abuses his patients after dark for his own sexual gratification while keeping them drugged and using his position of power for evil. It's not out of the question that a cuckolded stepfather cooks up a plan to seduce his cheating wife's son to exact his revenge. And snuff films do exist. Young men are taken from their poor families, for one reason or another, to become slaves of rich men, forced to live their short lives in fear, terror, and unimaginable pain, lost in their minds, grateful for the smallest reprieve, completely exposed, exploited, and then discarded like trash.
What the author is doing here is exploring the deepest and darkest of what one could call sexual fantasies, executed by men who seem to have no conscience and feel no guilt. Sex isn't part of a romance, it is power, and love does not exist.
But they aren't fantasies for some people in this world.
This is the stuff of nightmares, but the nightmares are real.
What this book did to me was make me feel dirty, sick to my stomach, and disgusted. But it also made me see the psychology behind the actions of the victims, how Stockholm Syndrome works, how a victim can get lost in his own head when deprived of even the most basic human needs, how a person can take a good hard look at himself and choose the easy way out for fear of his own depravity.
I'm not sure I'm explaining this the way I want to, and I don't want to put anyone off reading this book, because I think it will likely appeal to many of my friends, as long as you understand that what you're feeling while reading is most likely what the author intended you to feel.
And don't forget - while these are fictional characters, and fictional scenes, and fictional outcomes, and this is truly the stuff of nightmares, there are people in this world for whom this isn't fictional at all. There are people for whom the terror and the fear and the pain are very real, indeed.
Which hopefully explains my reluctance to rate this book. On one hand, I want to decry it for creating a fantasy out of real life, of exploiting, for entertainment purposes, the sick and horrifying things people do to other people. And on the other hand, I want to laud this author for the exquisite writing skills displayed here, for her unflinching look at the depravity that exists within the human race, and for making me question some of my reactions to what I was reading.
So, no rating. Heed the author's warning. The stories within are one complete mind-fuck after another, and she wasn't kidding when she told us that. There are no happy endings here, in any of the 4 short stories in this book, and love is at best a delusion. There was only one story that made me feel that it ended sort of on a good note, and that was the story of David, the stepfather who 'seduces' his wife's barely legal, virginal son. A good note, albeit only if you "tilt your head and squint".
** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return. **
- Lisa Henry/Cari Waites is a nice person. She warned her readers that this book was going to be a mind-fuck. She wasn't kidding.
- The scenes in the book aren't real - this is fictional.
- The characters aren't real - they're all fictional.
- It's okay to cry in rage and in fear and in sheer terror.
The characters, the scenes, the terrible things happening in this book aren't real. This is the stuff of nightmares. And when I approached the words on page from that perspective, for a few moments I could pretend it was maybe okay to be oddly fascinated by the horrific happenings inside. That, because this is a work of fiction, it was maybe okay to not recoil at the terror within.
And then I realized that while this book may be fiction, may be just the dark imaginings of a terrific writer, the stories told here do happen. Behind closed doors, in the house next door, in basements hidden from prying eyes, out of desperation, and born from the sick minds of sociopaths and psychopaths - this shit happens.
Human trafficking is a real thing. It's not entirely unfeasible that a compulsive gambler would allow his barely legal son to sell himself to pay the debts, and then pay the price for doing so. It's not completely out of the realm of possibility that a doctor in a mental hospital abuses his patients after dark for his own sexual gratification while keeping them drugged and using his position of power for evil. It's not out of the question that a cuckolded stepfather cooks up a plan to seduce his cheating wife's son to exact his revenge. And snuff films do exist. Young men are taken from their poor families, for one reason or another, to become slaves of rich men, forced to live their short lives in fear, terror, and unimaginable pain, lost in their minds, grateful for the smallest reprieve, completely exposed, exploited, and then discarded like trash.
What the author is doing here is exploring the deepest and darkest of what one could call sexual fantasies, executed by men who seem to have no conscience and feel no guilt. Sex isn't part of a romance, it is power, and love does not exist.
But they aren't fantasies for some people in this world.
This is the stuff of nightmares, but the nightmares are real.
What this book did to me was make me feel dirty, sick to my stomach, and disgusted. But it also made me see the psychology behind the actions of the victims, how Stockholm Syndrome works, how a victim can get lost in his own head when deprived of even the most basic human needs, how a person can take a good hard look at himself and choose the easy way out for fear of his own depravity.
I'm not sure I'm explaining this the way I want to, and I don't want to put anyone off reading this book, because I think it will likely appeal to many of my friends, as long as you understand that what you're feeling while reading is most likely what the author intended you to feel.
And don't forget - while these are fictional characters, and fictional scenes, and fictional outcomes, and this is truly the stuff of nightmares, there are people in this world for whom this isn't fictional at all. There are people for whom the terror and the fear and the pain are very real, indeed.
Which hopefully explains my reluctance to rate this book. On one hand, I want to decry it for creating a fantasy out of real life, of exploiting, for entertainment purposes, the sick and horrifying things people do to other people. And on the other hand, I want to laud this author for the exquisite writing skills displayed here, for her unflinching look at the depravity that exists within the human race, and for making me question some of my reactions to what I was reading.
So, no rating. Heed the author's warning. The stories within are one complete mind-fuck after another, and she wasn't kidding when she told us that. There are no happy endings here, in any of the 4 short stories in this book, and love is at best a delusion. There was only one story that made me feel that it ended sort of on a good note, and that was the story of David, the stepfather who 'seduces' his wife's barely legal, virginal son. A good note, albeit only if you "tilt your head and squint".
** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return. **
January 14, 2016
HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT.
After reading I had to have a moment to recover.
Stealing Innocents is a group of short stories with varying degrees of darkness, from erotic dubcon to horrific non-con. Even the lightest is not for casual kink reader. None would traditionally be categorized as HEA's.
Gamble Everything
I loved Gamble Everything. It's heavy on the kinks (daddy fetish, orgasm denial, cages, plugs, fisting, sounding) and falls under dubious consent. The reader experiences the process and transformation with Danny. It's an easy story to get swept up in. Control is one-sided for sure, but there is mutual pleasure occurring. For me, the ending could be considered fairly happy even though it isn't perfect.
Crazy
Whew! Crazy really messes with your mind. Drew is in a mental hospital. He thinks his doctor is making him do sexual acts, but his head is so messed up that he has no idea what's real. I wanted this story to continue when it ended. It has me all twisted.
First and Only
I had no idea where First and Only was headed. I would have never guessed. It's fairly light compared to some of the others with it's own little extras like coaxing makeup and lingerie dress up. The storyline flips quickly, and I'm not actually sure how sad or happy I am about the ending really.
Falling Angels
Inhale...exhale... I'm still torn up over Falling Angels. It gutted me, ripped my heart out. It's darker than all the others combined and multiplied. It deals with boys forced into the sex industry. It's heavy on rape, torture, mutilation and just OMFGness repeatedly. I was not turned on in the least, and I had teary eyes some. This one is a tragedy that kept me up at night. I don't think I'll ever forget it.
Lisa Henry has succeeded in turning me on, turning me off, emotionally working me over and totally mindfucking me. Thank you ma'am.
February 6, 2016
A set of well written, very dark stories but Not for those looking for happy endings.
There is nothing really happy in these stories and I only read them because I was curious but they were really very dark, sad, painful and kind of hopeless. The last story in particular was incredibly painful. Just awful. These stories focus on the dark side of life and sex, and portray tales of power, manipulation, violence and control.
What happens when sex is used as a weapon or as a means of control? What happens when sex is divorced from love, care and compassion?
This volume of stories shows this.
I don't normally read dark erotica and I found these stories to be quite disturbing, but they were so carefully crafted by the author and made for gripping reading even though they bordered on the horrific and involved great cruelty and abuse of power in some of the stories. The stories were awful but kind of held you still as the horrors within them unfolded. My curiosity is satisfied but I am left bereft of happy endings and I want to rewrite all the stories so that the characters could have some kind of hope.
Alas that is not to be so I will be moving on quickly and expunging the horror of these stories from my mind. The author knows how to spin very dark and disturbing stories.
The longest story is 'Gambling Everything' which tells the story of a young man who sells himself to pay off his father's gambling debts. He is stripped of who he is and eventually becomes someone or something very different.
Apart from being dark these are also stories of suspense. As we enter into the darkness we hope that there may be some kind of light at the end of the tunnel but even when it seems as though there may be hope, the light emerges dimmed and twisted revealing something very unexpected and shocking.
These are disturbing stories, not for the fainthearted but for those who like to experience the unspeakable.
I am glad I read them even though I definitely won't be reading them again. Having explored darkness and depravity I now need to read light and fluffy stories for the rest of the year. Perhaps for the next five years. I have given this book four stars because the stories were so well written but I didn't like them. I felt so broken for the characters and the different kinds of suffering portrayed in each story. My curiosity is fully cured!
Copy provided by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2016
Light and fluffy bedtime stories with Lisa Henry. Except not at all.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one. This book contains four separate stories, each with one or more characters who go through hell. There are elements of erotica, psychological thriller, horror, and tragedy.
The first story, Gamble Everything, ends in a way I'm messed up enough to consider a happy ending. The second gets darker. The third even more so. But the last one.. Well, let's just say this book ends with absolutely no silver lining. This is NOT something you'd want to read for romance. At all. This will likely shake the sensibilities of even a pretty jaded reader.
This book is certainly not for everyone, and I don't know if I necessarily enjoyed each story, but I certainly respected them. For me, the mark of what makes any art "good" is its ability to evoke genuine emotion. This did it. I'm a mess right now, sure, but I'm glad I read this. God I need some cartoons or something.
January 20, 2016
Please, if you're not one to check the tags, this is the time to start. These stories are not for everyone. They are not happy. They are not filled with love. They do not have consenting adults. These stories are dark and sad. So very sad.
I'd read a couple of them before, but now, in a compilation, along with a new short, for anyone who loves the dark side, dub-con, non-con, this is a great collection. I don't want to talk about the stories, it's too hard. I'm not sure I really like these kinds of stories as much as I used to. There's an appeal, definitely, but I'm not sure where I'm at anymore. I can't fault them though. These are very well written, intriguing, and I could not put them down. And when I finished, I was so sad, but so glad it was over and I survived.
This book also gave me pause, and had me thinking about human trafficking, among other things, and what we're doing as a society to stop it. What we are doing as a people, to make the world better so the things in these stories never happen to anyone.
Well, we're not doing enough.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I'd read a couple of them before, but now, in a compilation, along with a new short, for anyone who loves the dark side, dub-con, non-con, this is a great collection. I don't want to talk about the stories, it's too hard. I'm not sure I really like these kinds of stories as much as I used to. There's an appeal, definitely, but I'm not sure where I'm at anymore. I can't fault them though. These are very well written, intriguing, and I could not put them down. And when I finished, I was so sad, but so glad it was over and I survived.
This book also gave me pause, and had me thinking about human trafficking, among other things, and what we're doing as a society to stop it. What we are doing as a people, to make the world better so the things in these stories never happen to anyone.
Well, we're not doing enough.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Read
September 24, 2024DNF at 49%.
What is this? I don’t even prepare for this.
What is this? I don’t even prepare for this.
February 3, 2016
Publisher's Note: This Collection contains edited second edtions of three stories that were previously individually published, plus one all-new story.
"Those who dare to scratch the surface of ordinary, everyday life may be horrified to find a sick underbelly beneath— a nightmare world populated by villains and victims, predators and prey, where the rules of society no longer apply."
I rated each story as it's own. And settled on my own average. This was tough for me, well, because I don't usually read different stories within one book, I didn't want to rate the whole book as a part.
Gamble Everything: 5 Stars/Crazy: 3 Stars/First and Only: 4 Stars /Falling Angels: 3 Stars
My ultimate rating is 4 Stars.
If I had only read the first part, Gamble Everything, this book is an easy 5 Star favorite. I wrote my review for the first part below, and I am adding more for the other parts.
Gamble Everything Review:
It takes something completely different to shock this twisted sister. I felt wrong. So fucking wrong for loving this book. This may be too much for even dark readers. So, I'm warning you now. It's passed twisted approved, it's sick approved. Be prepared.
Danny sold his soul for his father's debt. Now, I eat captive books like candy... This one was a different take, I don't know if it was because of the M/M, or the 'real' feeling I got, but I was flabbergasted. The story is told from Daniel's point of view, the actions, thoughts, behavior was that of a eighteen year old, I appreciate the author staying true to his age/character/genre.
I'm also conflicted, some will say this book was just "sex and conditioning." And it's true in a sense, but it's psychological as well, thought provoking at it's best. We take a trip to depraved and turn on twisted ave. The ending made me smile, most won't agree... I love unconventional endings, that said, this one was the best of the best. I could rate 5 Stars just for the ending.
------------------------
The rest of my review.
With the last three parts, I was intrigued, stunned, and completely engaged. BUT, they weren't long enough for me to connect with the characters. Give me a full length book for any one them. Give me character development. I bet every single one would be 5 stars. This author blew my mind. Each story had a different spin on depravity, she went there. She reached into the world of ugly and made me look. I felt like a villain just reading this. This is a journey I will never forget. This was like Kitty Thomas meets Twilight Zone. I twisted lesson.
"Those who dare to scratch the surface of ordinary, everyday life may be horrified to find a sick underbelly beneath— a nightmare world populated by villains and victims, predators and prey, where the rules of society no longer apply."
I rated each story as it's own. And settled on my own average. This was tough for me, well, because I don't usually read different stories within one book, I didn't want to rate the whole book as a part.
Gamble Everything: 5 Stars/Crazy: 3 Stars/First and Only: 4 Stars /Falling Angels: 3 Stars
My ultimate rating is 4 Stars.
If I had only read the first part, Gamble Everything, this book is an easy 5 Star favorite. I wrote my review for the first part below, and I am adding more for the other parts.
Gamble Everything Review:
It takes something completely different to shock this twisted sister. I felt wrong. So fucking wrong for loving this book. This may be too much for even dark readers. So, I'm warning you now. It's passed twisted approved, it's sick approved. Be prepared.
Danny sold his soul for his father's debt. Now, I eat captive books like candy... This one was a different take, I don't know if it was because of the M/M, or the 'real' feeling I got, but I was flabbergasted. The story is told from Daniel's point of view, the actions, thoughts, behavior was that of a eighteen year old, I appreciate the author staying true to his age/character/genre.
I'm also conflicted, some will say this book was just "sex and conditioning." And it's true in a sense, but it's psychological as well, thought provoking at it's best. We take a trip to depraved and turn on twisted ave. The ending made me smile, most won't agree... I love unconventional endings, that said, this one was the best of the best. I could rate 5 Stars just for the ending.
------------------------
The rest of my review.
With the last three parts, I was intrigued, stunned, and completely engaged. BUT, they weren't long enough for me to connect with the characters. Give me a full length book for any one them. Give me character development. I bet every single one would be 5 stars. This author blew my mind. Each story had a different spin on depravity, she went there. She reached into the world of ugly and made me look. I felt like a villain just reading this. This is a journey I will never forget. This was like Kitty Thomas meets Twilight Zone. I twisted lesson.
March 12, 2018
3.5 stars
This anthology is well-written, compelling, and it will mess with your head. Seriously. This is some sick and twisted stuff that at times it made me feel wrong just reading it. There were twists I didn’t see coming, nuances that made me question and think, and scenes I couldn’t get out of my head (including some I rather wish I could un-read).
Gamble Everything
This one has kink galore: sounding, fisting, plugging, cock cage, orgasm denial, caning, spanking, enemas, multiple partners, toys, bondage, humiliation, daddy-kink, and more. However, it was the twist at the end that made it what it was for me. Archer is a master manipulator.
First and Only
This one did have love… of a sort. I read it waiting for the twist I sensed would come, but didn’t see what ended up happening coming. It left me with a ton of unanswered questions floating around in my head though, and also given how it ended, it seemed a bit strange that it was written from David’s past tense POV.
Crazy
Is it real or is it not? A twisted, intensely harrowing little story that could fly either way, I guess, from how it’s written. It’s definitely well-written, and it made me feel—revulsion, disgust, anger, even betrayal. It reminded me a bit of how I felt when I watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I’d classify this little story firmly in the category of horror rather than BDSM or erotica.
Falling Angels
Sex trafficking of young boys… non-con, torture, mutilation. An innocent in the hands of a sex trafficker is awful, right? Well, that pales when you go further into the story and meet a monster. This gives new meaning to the idea that things could always be worse. This is dark with no redemption or love. Completely horror and not erotica. I read it with hope, but there was no hope. I finished and just sat stunned speechless. If the point was to horrify, it did that in spades. Move over Stephen King, Clive Barker and the other masters of horror. Cuz this one freaked me the hell out. Left me feeling hopeless, drained, and dirty.
This anthology is well-written, compelling, and it will mess with your head. Seriously. This is some sick and twisted stuff that at times it made me feel wrong just reading it. There were twists I didn’t see coming, nuances that made me question and think, and scenes I couldn’t get out of my head (including some I rather wish I could un-read).
Gamble Everything
This one has kink galore: sounding, fisting, plugging, cock cage, orgasm denial, caning, spanking, enemas, multiple partners, toys, bondage, humiliation, daddy-kink, and more. However, it was the twist at the end that made it what it was for me. Archer is a master manipulator.
First and Only
This one did have love… of a sort. I read it waiting for the twist I sensed would come, but didn’t see what ended up happening coming. It left me with a ton of unanswered questions floating around in my head though, and also given how it ended, it seemed a bit strange that it was written from David’s past tense POV.
Crazy
Is it real or is it not? A twisted, intensely harrowing little story that could fly either way, I guess, from how it’s written. It’s definitely well-written, and it made me feel—revulsion, disgust, anger, even betrayal. It reminded me a bit of how I felt when I watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I’d classify this little story firmly in the category of horror rather than BDSM or erotica.
Falling Angels
Sex trafficking of young boys… non-con, torture, mutilation. An innocent in the hands of a sex trafficker is awful, right? Well, that pales when you go further into the story and meet a monster. This gives new meaning to the idea that things could always be worse. This is dark with no redemption or love. Completely horror and not erotica. I read it with hope, but there was no hope. I finished and just sat stunned speechless. If the point was to horrify, it did that in spades. Move over Stephen King, Clive Barker and the other masters of horror. Cuz this one freaked me the hell out. Left me feeling hopeless, drained, and dirty.
May 4, 2016
Deliciously fucked up!
Gamble Everything - 5 stars
I've read this one before, I loved it then and I loved it the second time round! See my review here
Crazy - 4 Stars
This was such a well written story! Well all of them are well written, but this felt exceptional. This book was hot as fuck in a depraved way and has me thinking about long after it ended. I'm still not sure if Drew was crazy or not?!?
This only loses a star because of the ambiguous ending, I'm not a fan of those.
First and Only - 5 Stars
This was the story I was most excited about. Step-dad seduces 18 years old son... Yes I am there! This was obviously hot, it hit alot of my buttons but it was also, once again, very cleverly written.
Seeing David's fall into obsession and ultimately insanity was really interesting to read about.
I didn't quite know how it was going to end until it happened, I liked that it had a clear cut conclusion.
Fallen Angel's - 3 Stars
What everyone says about this story is true, it's very depressing. It really wasn't hot at all except that last scene. Just a tortured boy going through more torture. The ending was.... Interesting.... Not happy in the slightest when it could have easily been, but that would've defeated the purpose of the story.
Once again very well written though.
Gamble Everything - 5 stars
I've read this one before, I loved it then and I loved it the second time round! See my review here
Crazy - 4 Stars
This was such a well written story! Well all of them are well written, but this felt exceptional. This book was hot as fuck in a depraved way and has me thinking about long after it ended. I'm still not sure if Drew was crazy or not?!?
This only loses a star because of the ambiguous ending, I'm not a fan of those.
First and Only - 5 Stars
This was the story I was most excited about. Step-dad seduces 18 years old son... Yes I am there! This was obviously hot, it hit alot of my buttons but it was also, once again, very cleverly written.
Seeing David's fall into obsession and ultimately insanity was really interesting to read about.
I didn't quite know how it was going to end until it happened, I liked that it had a clear cut conclusion.
Fallen Angel's - 3 Stars
What everyone says about this story is true, it's very depressing. It really wasn't hot at all except that last scene. Just a tortured boy going through more torture. The ending was.... Interesting.... Not happy in the slightest when it could have easily been, but that would've defeated the purpose of the story.
Once again very well written though.
March 8, 2016
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
5 depraved, disturbing Stars
READER DISCRETION ADVISED
This collection contains three edited second editions stories that were previously individually published, plus one all-new story, by Lisa Henry writing as Cari Waites.
________
Part #1: Gamble Everything- 5 stars.
Truthfully, I believe Gamble Everything would have been an excellent standalone title sold by itself to fans of MM dark and taboo reads. 5 Stars, hands down. It's hard to find a fully developed shorter novella, but this was perfectly executed.
Without knowing how the rest of the titles in the anthology read, Stealing Innocents is well-worth the purchase price just for a reader to get their hands on Gamble Everything. I was floored, and I read a ton of MM, dark, and taboo reads. Hell, I even write some. I basically clicked the pages with my jaw hanging open and my eyes bugging from my skull. "Dayum! was always on the tip of my tongue. I loved Danny/Daniel's inner monologue, bringing about some ironic hilarity in an otherwise brimming to the max book where everything was just so creepy... C-R-E-E-P-Y.
OMG! That bedroom... the clothing... the teddy bear. The innocent stuff was worse than the enema/fist/sound/cage. So much more mortifying. I need a shower. ASAP. I need to wash my brain. I was seriously titillated by how warped and cerebral this book was. So I worry about coming down from this high to find the rest of the stories not up to par.
__________
Part 2: Crazy 4 Stars.
Crazy was an interesting read, especially for its short length. I'm rating on my enjoyment level and against other stories of this length and type. While I was floored and frustrated while reading Drew's story, a boy in a mental ward held against his will, being drugged and abused by his psychiatrist, I wasn't blown away. The writer has talent, and if this particular story had been expanded slightly in the character development, it would have been an outstanding read.
However, I do believe it's a worthy part of the anthology. Intriguing and thought-provoking.
Disturbing.
_________
First and Only 5 Stars
In a disturbing, yet oddly enjoyable change, First and Only was written in the predator's voice instead of that of the prey like in the previous stories.
David. David. David. The predator is written in a way that the reader could empathize with him, and wanted him to get his revenge against his cheating wife. Sage was the type of person who is a walking victim, easily culled from the herd, never knowing which is the worst predator to have their sights set on him.
First and Only was very developed for so few pages. The story was complete, leaving a cliffhanger ending for the reader to make of it what they will. Definitely a fitting, disturbing contribution to the anthology.
_________
Falling Angels 5 Stars
Falling Angels was without a doubt was the most disturbing story of the anthology, and a punch to the throat way to end the book. Darker than the rest, more sociopathic and taboo, but scarily the most realistic of all the tales.
Instead of feeling skeeved out for being not only physically but cerebrally turned on while reading the predecessors, I was heartsick and sickened while reading Falling Angels.
___________
In conclusion, if you are a twisted puppy who gets off on a mind phuck, Stealing Innocents has 4 stories to warp your already depraved mind. Good luck washing it away for a while, because I fear each and every story has made a permanent impression on my psyche.
5 depraved, disturbing Stars
READER DISCRETION ADVISED
This collection contains three edited second editions stories that were previously individually published, plus one all-new story, by Lisa Henry writing as Cari Waites.
________
Part #1: Gamble Everything- 5 stars.
Truthfully, I believe Gamble Everything would have been an excellent standalone title sold by itself to fans of MM dark and taboo reads. 5 Stars, hands down. It's hard to find a fully developed shorter novella, but this was perfectly executed.
Without knowing how the rest of the titles in the anthology read, Stealing Innocents is well-worth the purchase price just for a reader to get their hands on Gamble Everything. I was floored, and I read a ton of MM, dark, and taboo reads. Hell, I even write some. I basically clicked the pages with my jaw hanging open and my eyes bugging from my skull. "Dayum! was always on the tip of my tongue. I loved Danny/Daniel's inner monologue, bringing about some ironic hilarity in an otherwise brimming to the max book where everything was just so creepy... C-R-E-E-P-Y.
OMG! That bedroom... the clothing... the teddy bear. The innocent stuff was worse than the enema/fist/sound/cage. So much more mortifying. I need a shower. ASAP. I need to wash my brain. I was seriously titillated by how warped and cerebral this book was. So I worry about coming down from this high to find the rest of the stories not up to par.
__________
Part 2: Crazy 4 Stars.
Crazy was an interesting read, especially for its short length. I'm rating on my enjoyment level and against other stories of this length and type. While I was floored and frustrated while reading Drew's story, a boy in a mental ward held against his will, being drugged and abused by his psychiatrist, I wasn't blown away. The writer has talent, and if this particular story had been expanded slightly in the character development, it would have been an outstanding read.
However, I do believe it's a worthy part of the anthology. Intriguing and thought-provoking.
Disturbing.
_________
First and Only 5 Stars
In a disturbing, yet oddly enjoyable change, First and Only was written in the predator's voice instead of that of the prey like in the previous stories.
David. David. David. The predator is written in a way that the reader could empathize with him, and wanted him to get his revenge against his cheating wife. Sage was the type of person who is a walking victim, easily culled from the herd, never knowing which is the worst predator to have their sights set on him.
First and Only was very developed for so few pages. The story was complete, leaving a cliffhanger ending for the reader to make of it what they will. Definitely a fitting, disturbing contribution to the anthology.
_________
Falling Angels 5 Stars
Falling Angels was without a doubt was the most disturbing story of the anthology, and a punch to the throat way to end the book. Darker than the rest, more sociopathic and taboo, but scarily the most realistic of all the tales.
Instead of feeling skeeved out for being not only physically but cerebrally turned on while reading the predecessors, I was heartsick and sickened while reading Falling Angels.
___________
In conclusion, if you are a twisted puppy who gets off on a mind phuck, Stealing Innocents has 4 stories to warp your already depraved mind. Good luck washing it away for a while, because I fear each and every story has made a permanent impression on my psyche.
March 19, 2023
Reread 03/2023 (Only Gamble Everything)
OMG.
OMG.
OMG.
How can anything be just that hot. And that good. And that baaaaaad in the best way *toes curl*
God I cannot express what this story does to me. Holy hell.
Gamble Everything is one of the stories that stayed with me ever since I first read it a few years ago and probably will forever. It’s just. THAT. GOOD!!! *growls*
I’m promoting this to my All Time Favourites Shelf, not sure why it hasn’t been there all along.
Original Review
HOLY MOTHER OF MINDFUCK!
What a perfect twisted little thing this was. I want more. There were buttons being pushed BIG time!
For Gamble Everything alone I’m giving this anthology 5 stars, because that was just SO GOOD!
All this mindfuckery going on there and that ending... Nevermind that it was hot as hell *does the depravity happy dance* My perverted little self was in heaven. And the writing was so well done, you really could believe all the shit going on there. Not that that'd be a good thing, but, oh, well you know what I mean.
Definitely another one of my favorite reads this year!
Regarding the other stories:
Crazy
Also 5 stars, though it pales a little bit compared to the first one. But for such a short story it packed quite a punch. I like.
First and Only
4 stars: A great story, but in my own very personal reading experience I enjoyed the other ones a bit better.
Fallen Angels
This story was... Well, I kinda wish I could un-read it, because it was all too much for me. It definitely crossed the line between disturbing but hot to just cruel and scary and depressing. I just wanted to hide and cry and I'm sure some of that stuff will haunt me in my dreams. And again not in a good way. The ending impressed me, but overall I couldn't enjoy this.
OMG.
OMG.
OMG.
How can anything be just that hot. And that good. And that baaaaaad in the best way *toes curl*
God I cannot express what this story does to me. Holy hell.
Gamble Everything is one of the stories that stayed with me ever since I first read it a few years ago and probably will forever. It’s just. THAT. GOOD!!! *growls*
I’m promoting this to my All Time Favourites Shelf, not sure why it hasn’t been there all along.
Original Review
HOLY MOTHER OF MINDFUCK!
What a perfect twisted little thing this was. I want more. There were buttons being pushed BIG time!
For Gamble Everything alone I’m giving this anthology 5 stars, because that was just SO GOOD!
All this mindfuckery going on there and that ending... Nevermind that it was hot as hell *does the depravity happy dance* My perverted little self was in heaven. And the writing was so well done, you really could believe all the shit going on there. Not that that'd be a good thing, but, oh, well you know what I mean.
Definitely another one of my favorite reads this year!
Regarding the other stories:
Crazy
Also 5 stars, though it pales a little bit compared to the first one. But for such a short story it packed quite a punch. I like.
First and Only
4 stars: A great story, but in my own very personal reading experience I enjoyed the other ones a bit better.
Fallen Angels
This story was... Well, I kinda wish I could un-read it, because it was all too much for me. It definitely crossed the line between disturbing but hot to just cruel and scary and depressing. I just wanted to hide and cry and I'm sure some of that stuff will haunt me in my dreams. And again not in a good way. The ending impressed me, but overall I couldn't enjoy this.
October 2, 2021
I disliked this intensely. Although the stories are fluently written (this is Lisa Henry writing as Cari Waites), they are also joyless and hope-less. I managed to read the first two stories, both featuring exploitative power imbalances and victims driven to be unwillingly complicit in their own abuse. This is not for me.
November 19, 2016
I couldn't find "First and Only" anywhere on GR to leave a review so I'll just do it here... This one knocked me differently than the rest, it was just so wild, such a nutso thing for David to pull off. . And the ending? Just perfect.
my review for Gamble Everything - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
my review for Crazy - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
my review for Falling Angels -https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
my review for Gamble Everything - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
my review for Crazy - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
my review for Falling Angels -https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 11, 2016
Gamble Everything - 5 stars - I loved this book. It totally worked for me despite the very dark subject matter.
Crazy - 3 stars - Not my cuppa, but excellent writing, as always.
First and Only - 3.5 stars. Yikes! Super dark. Super twisted. No HEA anywhere in sight. Superb and concise writing skills.
Lisa did warn us that this is dark mind fuckery. She wasn't kidding. But I like her brand of dark. Its not bloody or gratuitously gory. But taboo to the max.
Crazy - 3 stars - Not my cuppa, but excellent writing, as always.
First and Only - 3.5 stars. Yikes! Super dark. Super twisted. No HEA anywhere in sight. Superb and concise writing skills.
Lisa did warn us that this is dark mind fuckery. She wasn't kidding. But I like her brand of dark. Its not bloody or gratuitously gory. But taboo to the max.
March 27, 2016
This has a personal fave of mine in it - Gamble Everything which hits all sorts of buttons for me. Makes me happy. So that was a win. The other I liked is the "First and Only". Something about the whole step-parent thing. Not sure why because all of my friend's step parents were not lust worthy (sorry). Dark and oh so depraved.
April 7, 2016
Wow....what in the world have I just read? This book took me 2 days to read only because I had to step away and take a break quite often.
With that being said, this isn't a dark book, it's a black book. Very well written 4 short stories that will have you thinking what a great life you have had!
Be warned, many many triggers in this book. You've been warned. Now, head over and one click this bad boy and ENJOY!
With that being said, this isn't a dark book, it's a black book. Very well written 4 short stories that will have you thinking what a great life you have had!
Be warned, many many triggers in this book. You've been warned. Now, head over and one click this bad boy and ENJOY!
April 19, 2017
This book! How do I review a book that totally made me sick to my stomach but that I could not put down? It is everything that the warnings say it is and more. But it is also well written, thought provoking, and eye opening. Real life has a dark and disgusting underbelly that most of us just want to ignore and pretend that it doesn't exist. But guess what? It does and this author is not afraid to expose it in all of its disgusting, twisted, and raw reality.
December 19, 2021
1st story: Gamble Everything - 4.5 stars
2nd story: Crazy - 4.25 stars
3rd story: First and Only - 3.5 stars
4th story: Falling Angels - My only full 5 star rating of 2021 😁 I posted a separate full review which you will find if you go to the Falling Angels page. The fricking story still gives me nightmares until now. I became a changed person after I read this.
So it's official, I am in love with Cari Waites/Lisa Henry.
2nd story: Crazy - 4.25 stars
3rd story: First and Only - 3.5 stars
4th story: Falling Angels - My only full 5 star rating of 2021 😁 I posted a separate full review which you will find if you go to the Falling Angels page. The fricking story still gives me nightmares until now. I became a changed person after I read this.
So it's official, I am in love with Cari Waites/Lisa Henry.
January 13, 2016
Read the full review on Bookaholics Not-So-Anonymous.
Note: This ARC was provided by Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
The first story is the longest in the anthology, Gamble Everything, and is about an eighteen-year-old young man who offers his own body to pay the debts of his gambling addicted father only to learn that he's got himself a new "Daddy", one who's had his eye on him for two years. Book two is Crazy and has a patient in a mental institution being sexually assaulted while heavily drugged by someone who he should be able to trust. The third story is entitled First and Only, a tale of a jilted husband who decides that the best kind of revenge against his new wife is served through the seduction her barely legal son. The last one has a young man who is forced into sexual servitude and has his will and spirit broken beyond any sort of hope for repair. Three of the younger partners in the stories are eighteen while one is a nineteen-year-old.
Without a doubt, the writing in this anthology is tight and on point. Lisa Henry, who uses the pen name of Cari Waites here, makes no apologies for the stories she's written and shared. The younger main characters are mindfucked, and in the process, the reader ends up mindfucked with each page turn. You can't help but feel uncomfortable while reading each violation is bared for all to witness. Your heart breaks for them because by the time each story ends, you can tell that they'll never be the way they once were before the older main characters entered their lives--save for the last one, which already had the younger man abused and broken even before the older man came along. I'm recommending Stealing Innocents, but that recommendation comes with the reminder that this is not a feel-good book. 4.5 stars, rounded off to five stars. ♥
Note: This ARC was provided by Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
The first story is the longest in the anthology, Gamble Everything, and is about an eighteen-year-old young man who offers his own body to pay the debts of his gambling addicted father only to learn that he's got himself a new "Daddy", one who's had his eye on him for two years. Book two is Crazy and has a patient in a mental institution being sexually assaulted while heavily drugged by someone who he should be able to trust. The third story is entitled First and Only, a tale of a jilted husband who decides that the best kind of revenge against his new wife is served through the seduction her barely legal son. The last one has a young man who is forced into sexual servitude and has his will and spirit broken beyond any sort of hope for repair. Three of the younger partners in the stories are eighteen while one is a nineteen-year-old.
Without a doubt, the writing in this anthology is tight and on point. Lisa Henry, who uses the pen name of Cari Waites here, makes no apologies for the stories she's written and shared. The younger main characters are mindfucked, and in the process, the reader ends up mindfucked with each page turn. You can't help but feel uncomfortable while reading each violation is bared for all to witness. Your heart breaks for them because by the time each story ends, you can tell that they'll never be the way they once were before the older main characters entered their lives--save for the last one, which already had the younger man abused and broken even before the older man came along. I'm recommending Stealing Innocents, but that recommendation comes with the reminder that this is not a feel-good book. 4.5 stars, rounded off to five stars. ♥
April 13, 2020
4 Stars
If you’re in the mood for a truly dark, twisted, disturbing book...look no further. This is an anthology with four stories that are brutal to read, terrifyingly realistic, and have no HEA. They are all horrifying but I would have to say that the last story, Falling Angels, was the worst and actually made my stomach roll. If you cannot or do not want to read explicit abuse, violence, and rape, do NOT read this book.
I believe this is best read blind to get the full impact and to not see the surprise endings coming. However, for those who want to know what they’re getting into: .
If you’re in the mood for a truly dark, twisted, disturbing book...look no further. This is an anthology with four stories that are brutal to read, terrifyingly realistic, and have no HEA. They are all horrifying but I would have to say that the last story, Falling Angels, was the worst and actually made my stomach roll. If you cannot or do not want to read explicit abuse, violence, and rape, do NOT read this book.
I believe this is best read blind to get the full impact and to not see the surprise endings coming. However, for those who want to know what they’re getting into: .
January 12, 2016
Copy from netgalley
I will admit, I requested this book due to all the warnings it came with. Sometimes you just want to read something that sounds a little...darker? Something....wrong! This was that book for me! I will admit, there were moments when it felt wrong to be reading these stories...but saying that they felt so right! It was a book you shouldn't enjoy but you really do! I loved the stories....they were twisted and dark and wrong and gripping and so freaking hot!! I didnt know going into this that the author was actually Lisa Henry....but at least now I know why it was written so well!
Great collection of stories for people who don't mind something a little twisted...but so so good!
I will admit, I requested this book due to all the warnings it came with. Sometimes you just want to read something that sounds a little...darker? Something....wrong! This was that book for me! I will admit, there were moments when it felt wrong to be reading these stories...but saying that they felt so right! It was a book you shouldn't enjoy but you really do! I loved the stories....they were twisted and dark and wrong and gripping and so freaking hot!! I didnt know going into this that the author was actually Lisa Henry....but at least now I know why it was written so well!
Great collection of stories for people who don't mind something a little twisted...but so so good!
March 6, 2017
The book does come with a warning, but nothing prepared me for the hrror I felt when I read the stories. It's purely Brutal and Raw underbelly of our society . It totally disgusted me so it deserved 0 stars. But it made me feel- anger, rage,frustration , sympathy, Betrayal. Hitting all my panic buttons. Isn't that what a good book is supposed to do. For that it deserves 5 stars.
so oscillating between two, I stick to the middle.
I wept for the boys, hoping death would give them reprieve from their torture and abuse.
I don't know if I should or could suggest this book to anyone
read it at your own risk
and empty stomach
so oscillating between two, I stick to the middle.
I wept for the boys, hoping death would give them reprieve from their torture and abuse.
I don't know if I should or could suggest this book to anyone
read it at your own risk
and empty stomach
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