Dark

by Elle Vaughn

***WARNING Dark is not your typical love story and should be read with caution. This book contains content that may not be pleasant to all readers. Just as the title suggests, it is a dark romance. One thing that reclusive businessman Penn Wright doesn't do well is relationships. He never has, he never will. Not only has he comes to terms with this realization, but he readily embraces it. Instead, he chooses to explore his darker side with random girls to play his games with, hoping that one day, he will find a submissive that will satisfy the demons he hides inside. One fateful night when Penn decides to hire a call girl for the evening, what shows up at his door is not at all what he expected; a shy, timid girl who looked to be about as broken as they come. Almost as broken as him. Penn's mouth waters at the sight of her, but the monster inside becomes almost too much for him to handle as it demands to be unleashed so it can feast upon the girl that calls herself Quinn. And he doesn't know if he can control it any longer. What starts off as a simple one night stand, quickly turns into a dangerous obsession. When Penn looks at Quinn he sees the Submissive he's always wanted, but what Quinn sees is her sadistic captor. Penn is determined to make Quinn his but she's equally resolved to find a way to escape. Will Quinn be able to see Penn for anything but a wicked and cruel beast? And will Penn learn that he must change his ways if he's ever going to capture the heart of the girl he stole?

Genres: Dark

171 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 2, 2016

About the author

Elle Vaughn is an avid book lover - especially romance novels. She's the author of the Anna and Quinton novella series and is always working on a new story project. When she's not lost in her character creations she can be found chasing around her toddler, being outside in the Colorado outdoors, gardening and attempting to cook for her family!

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so this was definitely a waste of my night.

The kink in this was terrible. Some asshole thought he was Dom, when in fact he was just a total dick and clearly had no idea how to be in any kind of relationship.

This was just so disappointing. I was expecting a confident, dark, dangerous Dom and what I got was a pretender that made me cringe. Not sexy in the least.

Don't get me wrong, I love dark romance and I especially love a dark, twisted non-con story with a sadistic hero. This book wasn't that. I could have forgiven Penn's dickishness if this was a dark book but it wasn't. He was just a spoiled douche bag that wanted to play slavery games and had to coerce some poor girl as he lacked the social skills to find a willing partner.

The whole thing really made me cringe. This was not one for me.

[Expresso · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 35%

I can't stand a book that continuously harp on skin color in such a way that it takes away from the story. I could give a rats ass about how white her skin or anything else about her skin tone. I especially don't care how white she is compared to the male character. The constant attention to the color of her skin is a complete turnoff!

I gifted this story two stars because I believe if it is rewritten it can be a great dark story. I'm forever an optimistic. ....

As usual please consider other reviews if making a decision whether or not to purchase. The issues surrounding this book is one of my biggest pet peeves therefore my review is less than favorable. Thank you.

[Linda Rea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is kind of a twisted love story in an odd way. Quinn whose real name is Evelyn is turning tricks for her boyfriend Randy and she gets called to a man named Penn's house. When Penn instructs her that they are going to have sex but she cannot touch him she gets caught up in the moment and touches him. He immediately sends her away and when he realized he really wanted her he calls to find out e she was fired. He finally figures out how to find her so he buys her from her boyfriend Randy. Evelyn feels he is holding her captive but as time goes by she feels more and more comfortable with him. He is finally getting her to trust him so he brings her to a BDSM club and she has a great time. He feels like they have turned a corner so he trusts her to go shopping on her own and when she is there she contacts her old boyfriend Randy and runs away. Penn can't eat or sleep without her and he realizes he is in love with her if he could only find her. There is a a lot of dark erotica in this story but if you keep reading you will see its about two people who really need each other.
Reviewed on behalf of Once upon a Alpha

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penn doesn't do relationships and is a total jerk (in my opinion, of course). He usually gets what he wants as far as women are concerned. It starts out with him having a bad day at his office and his secretary offering to help. He has had intimate relationships with her in the past, but today he wants someone else and sends her away. Regretting his decision sending her away, he summons for female company to take care of these frustrations.

Looking forward to his night with his "date", when she shows up she looks timid and shy, not exactly what he hoped for. Oh, the fun he's going to have with her! And our story takes off from here!!

3.5 stars from me on this one. This was the first book I've read by Elle Vaughn and for me, it fell a little short of what I hoped it would be. I love dark erotic stories and this was good, I just thought it could have been better.

Copy received in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed on behalf of Once Upon An Alpha

[Sherlan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book sucked. I mean SUCKED!!! It started off okay, then quickly went downhill. I have read many BDSM based stories, even some very dark ones, but THIS one sucked; I mean it was horrible. The way this story went down made me think that the person who began the first chapter or two is not the same person who completed the story. Like two totally different people wrote it. I'm glad this was available through kindle unlimited, so it was kinda like a free read, but still a waste of my time.

[Linda Sarik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay

Not my favorite story in this genre! Needs editing, especially since I found annoying errors in the first two chapters. Was just okay. Might be worth your while if you have kindle unlimited...