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Darkest Before Dawn
Sixty-four days in captivity. Sixty-four days to lose yourself—or find yourself.
I’m Ava Donovan. I was abducted at the age of nineteen. I’m told I’m a survivor, but the truth is, I only survived because he saved me. Even when he kept me locked in that room—he saved me.
Constantly wondering when and how you will die, that does something to you. To your mind. But what do you do when it does something to your heart? What do you do when the man holding you captive seems just as broken as you are, when his mere presence becomes a comfort you crave—when you love him even though you shouldn’t?
You smile and tell yourself it’s okay because love has no morals.
Sixty-four days in captivity gave me a love most people will never have and my freedom took it all away.
I’m Ava Donovan. I was abducted at the age of nineteen. I’m told I’m a survivor, but the truth is, I only survived because he saved me. Even when he kept me locked in that room—he saved me.
Constantly wondering when and how you will die, that does something to you. To your mind. But what do you do when it does something to your heart? What do you do when the man holding you captive seems just as broken as you are, when his mere presence becomes a comfort you crave—when you love him even though you shouldn’t?
You smile and tell yourself it’s okay because love has no morals.
Sixty-four days in captivity gave me a love most people will never have and my freedom took it all away.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2016
162 people are currently reading
974 people want to read
About the author
Stevie J. Cole
63 books2,175 followersStevie J. Cole is a USA Today bestselling romance author and a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award finalist.
Her titles have made it into Amazon's Top 5 bestsellers, reaching number one in the contemporary and new adult genres.
Her titles have made it into Amazon's Top 5 bestsellers, reaching number one in the contemporary and new adult genres.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
September 19, 2016
*****FOUR STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
He’s following the rules, and if I am the one who makes him break those rules—well, isn’t that the type of thing romance stories are based on? Isn’t that what every woman dreams of? Having her love be something so special and pure that it can turn a beast into a man?
Fans of dark reads will surely enjoy DARKEST BEFORE DAWN. I found Stevie J Cole’s writing in this one at times to be beautifully poetic. This story is quite gritty and often very hard to endure but ultimately it is about love, and how it defines us. Our need to be loved can sometimes drive us to do things we would never have imagined doing.
We are thrust right into a very intense and traumatizing moment for the Hero during the prologue. This event leaves a lasting impact on Max Carter's life and ends up sending him down a very dark path. Years after the horrific night he lost both of his parents, Max is in the process of getting his life back on track. He’s no longer using drugs and has left his life of crime. Max goes to pay a visit to his little sister, Lila, and soon finds out that she has been missing for almost a week. When he goes to the police station to file a missing person report, he is told that his sister is a known drug addict and prostitute and that her case would be put at the bottom of the department’s list of priorities. Enraged by the lack of concern by law enforcement, Max decides to take matters into his own hands. He soon finds out that his sister was abducted and ultimately sold within the sex slave ring. Max comes face to face with his sister’s captor and now here’s where the story takes a bizarre turn, he has to then become the monster in order to find his sister.
Eighteen-year-old Ava Donovan was out with her boyfriend when she was abducted by two unsavory characters. She was then brought to some rundown looking house in the middle of nowhere and thrown into a dark and creepy basement. After about a week of being locked away in the basement with very little food or human interaction, Ava meets the man who will be her handler, the man who will play the ultimate mind games to get her ready to be sold as a sex slave, and that man is MAX CARTER!!!!! Our hero throws himself deep in the sex slave trade ring in hopes of finding his sister. He’s already been responsible for training numerous abducted women. They had all been prostitutes without any family ties but this time, it’s different with Ava. Ava comes from a very wealthy family with some rather unexpected ties that you’ll find out later in the story. Someone hired Max’s counterparts to murder Ava but they decided it would be more beneficial in the long run to sell her as a slave instead.
Max has reservations about going through with the plans to sell Ava since she is not like all the other girls and something about her calls to him. Ava also sees that there’s something deep in Max that she connects to and there’s also no denying that they both feel a strong physical attraction between them. As the two become more tightly bound to one another, Max realizes that there’s no way he can let anything happen to Ava but he still has the matter of finding his sister to deal with.
Things get seriously twisted and extremely bloody during the latter half of the story. Max and Ava will both go through more devastating turmoil. Will they be able to find an HEA when there is so much stacked up against them?
DARKEST BEFORE DAWN is currently available. Be sure to one-click.
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2cDgNWm
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LX5EEKO
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01LX5EEKO
AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01LX5EEKO
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
He’s following the rules, and if I am the one who makes him break those rules—well, isn’t that the type of thing romance stories are based on? Isn’t that what every woman dreams of? Having her love be something so special and pure that it can turn a beast into a man?
Fans of dark reads will surely enjoy DARKEST BEFORE DAWN. I found Stevie J Cole’s writing in this one at times to be beautifully poetic. This story is quite gritty and often very hard to endure but ultimately it is about love, and how it defines us. Our need to be loved can sometimes drive us to do things we would never have imagined doing.
We are thrust right into a very intense and traumatizing moment for the Hero during the prologue. This event leaves a lasting impact on Max Carter's life and ends up sending him down a very dark path. Years after the horrific night he lost both of his parents, Max is in the process of getting his life back on track. He’s no longer using drugs and has left his life of crime. Max goes to pay a visit to his little sister, Lila, and soon finds out that she has been missing for almost a week. When he goes to the police station to file a missing person report, he is told that his sister is a known drug addict and prostitute and that her case would be put at the bottom of the department’s list of priorities. Enraged by the lack of concern by law enforcement, Max decides to take matters into his own hands. He soon finds out that his sister was abducted and ultimately sold within the sex slave ring. Max comes face to face with his sister’s captor and now here’s where the story takes a bizarre turn, he has to then become the monster in order to find his sister.
Eighteen-year-old Ava Donovan was out with her boyfriend when she was abducted by two unsavory characters. She was then brought to some rundown looking house in the middle of nowhere and thrown into a dark and creepy basement. After about a week of being locked away in the basement with very little food or human interaction, Ava meets the man who will be her handler, the man who will play the ultimate mind games to get her ready to be sold as a sex slave, and that man is MAX CARTER!!!!! Our hero throws himself deep in the sex slave trade ring in hopes of finding his sister. He’s already been responsible for training numerous abducted women. They had all been prostitutes without any family ties but this time, it’s different with Ava. Ava comes from a very wealthy family with some rather unexpected ties that you’ll find out later in the story. Someone hired Max’s counterparts to murder Ava but they decided it would be more beneficial in the long run to sell her as a slave instead.
Max has reservations about going through with the plans to sell Ava since she is not like all the other girls and something about her calls to him. Ava also sees that there’s something deep in Max that she connects to and there’s also no denying that they both feel a strong physical attraction between them. As the two become more tightly bound to one another, Max realizes that there’s no way he can let anything happen to Ava but he still has the matter of finding his sister to deal with.
Things get seriously twisted and extremely bloody during the latter half of the story. Max and Ava will both go through more devastating turmoil. Will they be able to find an HEA when there is so much stacked up against them?
DARKEST BEFORE DAWN is currently available. Be sure to one-click.
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2cDgNWm
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LX5EEKO
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01LX5EEKO
AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01LX5EEKO
September 12, 2016
༺**Complimentary Copy**༺ Provided by the author
"Stevie J. Cole" In exchange for an honest review..Thank you!!
TITLE: Darkest Before Dawn
AUTHOR: Stevie J. Cole
GENRE: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
CHAPTERS: Prologue | 42
RELEASE DATE: September 19th 2016
MY RATING: 4 STARS
DARKEST BEFORE DAWN: If the 'Prologue' is anything to go by this is going to make for one crazy ride. Spoken in sixteen year old Max's own words, 4 men have broken into their family home, he's awoken with a gun pressed firmly to his head, once all the family members are securely bound and gagged, he's given an ultimatum.
He has to choose which of his parents survives, he's to shoot one, if he doesn't choose, they will all die.
He aims, fires BANG a steady stream of blood flows from the small hole in the middle of the forehead.
A blow to his head, and darkness follows.
An eye for an eye
TWELVE YEARS LATER: Spoken in 'Dual Perspectives' Ava & Max, at this stage with the big jump in years it is unknown what exactly happened to Max after the home invasion. His sister has gone missing, he goes underground to see what exactly happened to her. He finds the men who were the last to have contact with her, now he has to become one of them to find her before it's too late.
Crime is something that runs through my blood.
Born into it..Raised in it. I'm numb to it,
and when you are numb to bloodshed,
in order to keep your hands clean, you have to remove
yourself from it completely.
Ava is a daughter of a hitman, out on a date, their car is pulled over, her date is killed in cold blood, she's taken against her will and held captive in a dilapidated house many miles away from home.
She's cold
Bound
Covered in blood
And terrified of what's to become of her.
This is where Max comes into the story, where she's being held, he tracked down the guys that were last seen with his sister, these guys remove undesirables off the streets, teach them to love, then they are auctioned off.
There's a darkness that runs through Max's veins, being raised in the mafia world he's seen it all and at this stage is as numb to it all as he can get.
The further you progress into the book, the plot thickens, it turns slightly gritty and dark which all you dark lovers will like, the prologue catches up with the storyline and starts to make more sense.
Is Ava able to shine a little light into his soul?
Will he go through with the process of selling her?
Will he set her free?
Will he find his sister, unharmed, undamaged or will it be too late?
These are only a few questions that race through your mind reading this.
Darkest Before Dawn is definitely what I would class as a dark romance, but it's so much more than that, it will have you captivated, seeking that HEA, you'll either love Max or not, It will have you eating up those pages to find out if these two escape the bounds that bind them.
For me the storyline picked up pace when Ava was kidnapped, this is where the grittiness of the story pulled me in, and gave me enough darkness to satisfy my soul. Some will love this others may pick it apart, heed the warnings, it's not a fluffy light read, as I stated it is dark so just keep that in mind before you rush off to one click this.
"Stevie J. Cole" In exchange for an honest review..Thank you!!
TITLE: Darkest Before Dawn
AUTHOR: Stevie J. Cole
GENRE: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
CHAPTERS: Prologue | 42
RELEASE DATE: September 19th 2016
MY RATING: 4 STARS
DARKEST BEFORE DAWN: If the 'Prologue' is anything to go by this is going to make for one crazy ride. Spoken in sixteen year old Max's own words, 4 men have broken into their family home, he's awoken with a gun pressed firmly to his head, once all the family members are securely bound and gagged, he's given an ultimatum.
He has to choose which of his parents survives, he's to shoot one, if he doesn't choose, they will all die.
He aims, fires BANG a steady stream of blood flows from the small hole in the middle of the forehead.
A blow to his head, and darkness follows.
An eye for an eye
TWELVE YEARS LATER: Spoken in 'Dual Perspectives' Ava & Max, at this stage with the big jump in years it is unknown what exactly happened to Max after the home invasion. His sister has gone missing, he goes underground to see what exactly happened to her. He finds the men who were the last to have contact with her, now he has to become one of them to find her before it's too late.
Crime is something that runs through my blood.Born into it..Raised in it. I'm numb to it,
and when you are numb to bloodshed,
in order to keep your hands clean, you have to remove
yourself from it completely.
Ava is a daughter of a hitman, out on a date, their car is pulled over, her date is killed in cold blood, she's taken against her will and held captive in a dilapidated house many miles away from home.
She's cold
Bound
Covered in blood
And terrified of what's to become of her.
This is where Max comes into the story, where she's being held, he tracked down the guys that were last seen with his sister, these guys remove undesirables off the streets, teach them to love, then they are auctioned off.
There's a darkness that runs through Max's veins, being raised in the mafia world he's seen it all and at this stage is as numb to it all as he can get.
The further you progress into the book, the plot thickens, it turns slightly gritty and dark which all you dark lovers will like, the prologue catches up with the storyline and starts to make more sense.
Is Ava able to shine a little light into his soul?
Will he go through with the process of selling her?
Will he set her free?
Will he find his sister, unharmed, undamaged or will it be too late?
These are only a few questions that race through your mind reading this.
Darkest Before Dawn is definitely what I would class as a dark romance, but it's so much more than that, it will have you captivated, seeking that HEA, you'll either love Max or not, It will have you eating up those pages to find out if these two escape the bounds that bind them.
For me the storyline picked up pace when Ava was kidnapped, this is where the grittiness of the story pulled me in, and gave me enough darkness to satisfy my soul. Some will love this others may pick it apart, heed the warnings, it's not a fluffy light read, as I stated it is dark so just keep that in mind before you rush off to one click this.
April 10, 2017
4 "love in the dark" stars
I love Pablo Neruda, and i loved the meaning behind the quote of this sentence and the way Stevie J Cole used this quote and implemented it into this story of a sensitive unconventional and dark subject by making it susceptible and palpable and even understandable in some unexplicable or rationalized way...
When a 16 year old Max Carter had to choose between which of the two parents he would sacrifice under the order of Frank Donovan, he never expected to be thrown onto a fate route to recounter the man's daughter in a way of revenge.
Years after that tragedy, Max's and Lila's (his little sister) lives have been devastatingly shattered. Lila's a junkie and a whore and she's been missing. Max is a shadow of a man inside, cruel and mercilless killer when needs be, dealing with regret of not comunicating with Lila, he's set to find her and rescue her, after finding out that she's been kidnapped and sold. He infiltrates an organization that sells the "product" - after, already desperate, shattered and ruined girls without any family left, are trained/conditioned to "love". Max excells in doing it, with gained psychology degree, he's a master of "reading the human's psyche" and he's slowly nearing his mission of finding Lila.
but they kidnap the wrong girl, Ava Donovan, a girl that had a powerful family behind her, but whose brother wanted her dead for the same power, thus she's being delivered to this fate.
Things couldn't look more perfect at first glance, as Max has a chance to take his revenge to the man who destroyed his family and yet he didn't expect to be impacted by Ava, as he "conditions" her, he can't escape the "conditioning" himself, while he recognizes both, the darkness and the shaterred innocence, in Ava...
but the events take a wrong turn when Max finally locates Lila, and he finds that he was too late.
He decides to let Ava go, not really believeing it's possible for her to "feel" things for him, since she was conditioned to do it. Those aren't real.
BUT Stocholm syndrom or not, Ava can't move on. She can't escape the feelings she has for Max, no matter how wrong they seem to her surroundings. They are "real" to her.
BUT could there be a HEA for them? Two broken people, living on the edge of the shady life, can their twisted, to the outer world around them, love survive?
Cause the author, herself, explains it with her own line :
And this story transcends that notion...
I actually found the fact that the kidnappers "sell love" instead of "sex slaves" intriguing and refreshing and the way the author described the emotional conditioning of "falling in love" in the captor/captive relation in a credible and palpable way. What I found awkwardly resolved is the aftermath of the ending, it was "unfinished" and I felt somewhat tricked wanting both, a better closure with dealth repercussions or a continuation of the same in any other way imaginable...
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love Pablo Neruda, and i loved the meaning behind the quote of this sentence and the way Stevie J Cole used this quote and implemented it into this story of a sensitive unconventional and dark subject by making it susceptible and palpable and even understandable in some unexplicable or rationalized way...
When a 16 year old Max Carter had to choose between which of the two parents he would sacrifice under the order of Frank Donovan, he never expected to be thrown onto a fate route to recounter the man's daughter in a way of revenge.
Years after that tragedy, Max's and Lila's (his little sister) lives have been devastatingly shattered. Lila's a junkie and a whore and she's been missing. Max is a shadow of a man inside, cruel and mercilless killer when needs be, dealing with regret of not comunicating with Lila, he's set to find her and rescue her, after finding out that she's been kidnapped and sold. He infiltrates an organization that sells the "product" - after, already desperate, shattered and ruined girls without any family left, are trained/conditioned to "love". Max excells in doing it, with gained psychology degree, he's a master of "reading the human's psyche" and he's slowly nearing his mission of finding Lila.
Finding Lila was how I justified every fucking sin I've made, day in and day out for the past six months.
but they kidnap the wrong girl, Ava Donovan, a girl that had a powerful family behind her, but whose brother wanted her dead for the same power, thus she's being delivered to this fate.
Things couldn't look more perfect at first glance, as Max has a chance to take his revenge to the man who destroyed his family and yet he didn't expect to be impacted by Ava, as he "conditions" her, he can't escape the "conditioning" himself, while he recognizes both, the darkness and the shaterred innocence, in Ava...
This is a beautiful tragedy. Something that in any other world, any other circmustance, would have made an epic love story, but here in the depth of this cellar, locked in a room no one knows exists, there can be no happily ever after. This story ends here. In this room. With me and him.
Would it be wrong of me to take her with me? I feel things for her - there is a comfort with her I've never experienced, something so right and natural
but the events take a wrong turn when Max finally locates Lila, and he finds that he was too late.
He decides to let Ava go, not really believeing it's possible for her to "feel" things for him, since she was conditioned to do it. Those aren't real.
She and I - we both know the truth: the concept of love is the grandest facade man has ever dreamed up.
BUT Stocholm syndrom or not, Ava can't move on. She can't escape the feelings she has for Max, no matter how wrong they seem to her surroundings. They are "real" to her.
Love. Because it, in a nd of itself, is a prison. And one I don't ever want to escape.
BUT could there be a HEA for them? Two broken people, living on the edge of the shady life, can their twisted, to the outer world around them, love survive?
Cause the author, herself, explains it with her own line :
love was never meant to be easy, it was never really meant to be understood. It was merely meant to exist
And this story transcends that notion...
I actually found the fact that the kidnappers "sell love" instead of "sex slaves" intriguing and refreshing and the way the author described the emotional conditioning of "falling in love" in the captor/captive relation in a credible and palpable way. What I found awkwardly resolved is the aftermath of the ending, it was "unfinished" and I felt somewhat tricked wanting both, a better closure with dealth repercussions or a continuation of the same in any other way imaginable...
Read
September 20, 2016At 50% I'm calling it quits. Sooooooooo BORING!!! The only good thing I read was the prologue! So disappointed!
September 24, 2016
LIVE: http://amzn.to/2cDgNWm
5 "LOVE HAS NO MORALS" stars.
Darkest Before Dawn is a romance shrouded in darkness, where "good intentions are laced with evil and love is, in a sense, a prison."
It’s a story picturing a reality that some victims of abduction face in their journey as hostages. We hear stories of abduction almost everyday, we think we know what we would do in that situation, but the truth is that we really don’t. Everyone is different. Everyone face realities that we don't know about. Realities that at the end of the day, will be the ones that set the path we will follow. Realities that will set us free. Even if being free means stay caged behind 4 walls.
The Prologue starts literally with a BANG.
At 16 years old, a teenager boy should have been worried with how many beers can he snatch from his dad or with how many girl is he going to make out this weekend. Not with the decision to shoot one of his parents. And If he doesn't choose, they will all die.
He choose. He pulls the trigger and everything after that is darkness.
He and his sister are the only survivors from that catastrophic night. Leaving them alone and exposed to the dangers that threaten to corrupt them.
Twelve years has passed without any knowledge of what Max has been through all those years. We only know that he is back because his sister has gone missing. Unfortunately for Max, the fact her sister is a prostitute doesn't help him. The Police decides to take the easy way and presumed her dead. Case closed. But Max knows that his sister is alive so he decides to take matters into his own hands.
He won’t stop at nothing to find her sister. Even if that means get his hands dirty.
After tracking down the men that were last seen in contact with his sister, he became one of them. What do they do? They kidnap street girls, the ones they consider won’t be missed and teach them to love so they can be sold off.
This is where Ava comes into the story. She is kidnap and thrown into a cell. Intended to be trained and put up for sale.
There is more to Ava and why she is there than meets the eye. And when you figure it out who she really is, you will see how fucked up fate can be sometimes.
The relationship between them was deliciously built it up. It was uniquely dark, wicked and oh so wrong! Yet, neither one of them couldn't stop it. Proving that "even love exists in the depths of hell."
“Love was never meant to be easy, it was never really meant to be understood. It was merely meant to exist.”
Raw and emotional, Darkest Before Dawn made my heart beat faster and faster with every turn of the pages. A bittersweet romance that will linger long after you read the final page.
5 "LOVE HAS NO MORALS" stars.
Darkest Before Dawn is a romance shrouded in darkness, where "good intentions are laced with evil and love is, in a sense, a prison."
It’s a story picturing a reality that some victims of abduction face in their journey as hostages. We hear stories of abduction almost everyday, we think we know what we would do in that situation, but the truth is that we really don’t. Everyone is different. Everyone face realities that we don't know about. Realities that at the end of the day, will be the ones that set the path we will follow. Realities that will set us free. Even if being free means stay caged behind 4 walls.
The Prologue starts literally with a BANG.
At 16 years old, a teenager boy should have been worried with how many beers can he snatch from his dad or with how many girl is he going to make out this weekend. Not with the decision to shoot one of his parents. And If he doesn't choose, they will all die.
He choose. He pulls the trigger and everything after that is darkness.
He and his sister are the only survivors from that catastrophic night. Leaving them alone and exposed to the dangers that threaten to corrupt them.
Twelve years has passed without any knowledge of what Max has been through all those years. We only know that he is back because his sister has gone missing. Unfortunately for Max, the fact her sister is a prostitute doesn't help him. The Police decides to take the easy way and presumed her dead. Case closed. But Max knows that his sister is alive so he decides to take matters into his own hands.
“Crime is something that runs through my blood. Born into it. Raised in it. I’m numb to it, and when you are numb to bloodshed, ir order to keep your hands clean, you have to remove yourself completely.”
He won’t stop at nothing to find her sister. Even if that means get his hands dirty.
“I’m not hoping to find love. No, I’m wanting to manufacture it, bottle it, and sell it to the highest bidder.”
After tracking down the men that were last seen in contact with his sister, he became one of them. What do they do? They kidnap street girls, the ones they consider won’t be missed and teach them to love so they can be sold off.
This is where Ava comes into the story. She is kidnap and thrown into a cell. Intended to be trained and put up for sale.
There is more to Ava and why she is there than meets the eye. And when you figure it out who she really is, you will see how fucked up fate can be sometimes.
“I’m in love with the man I should hate, and I believe he’s in love with something he must kill.”
The relationship between them was deliciously built it up. It was uniquely dark, wicked and oh so wrong! Yet, neither one of them couldn't stop it. Proving that "even love exists in the depths of hell."
“Love was never meant to be easy, it was never really meant to be understood. It was merely meant to exist.”
Raw and emotional, Darkest Before Dawn made my heart beat faster and faster with every turn of the pages. A bittersweet romance that will linger long after you read the final page.
March 6, 2017
4.5 love has no morals stars
Somehow, among the dark depths of this nightmare, I've found some fucked up version of love- and I believe it's the only love language I will ever understand. I've given myself over to a devil, and God help me, all of the misery has been worth it for this very fucking moment."
Let me just say, I loved this book. The writing was superb and I totally enjoyed the Stockholm syndromey-type love story that this was. Max and Ava were both broken in their own ways at the beginning of the book, so it definitely made for an interesting love story!
"The thing about people like he and I- our normal is twisted and fucked up."
The other books I have read by this author was her pair up with L.P. Lovell for the Wrong series. If you haven't checked out the Wrong series, I TOTALLY suggest you do.
Wrong
Wrath
Stevie J. Cole is an amazing romance/suspense author and I cannot wait to read more of her work!
Somehow, among the dark depths of this nightmare, I've found some fucked up version of love- and I believe it's the only love language I will ever understand. I've given myself over to a devil, and God help me, all of the misery has been worth it for this very fucking moment."
Let me just say, I loved this book. The writing was superb and I totally enjoyed the Stockholm syndromey-type love story that this was. Max and Ava were both broken in their own ways at the beginning of the book, so it definitely made for an interesting love story!
"The thing about people like he and I- our normal is twisted and fucked up."
The other books I have read by this author was her pair up with L.P. Lovell for the Wrong series. If you haven't checked out the Wrong series, I TOTALLY suggest you do.
Wrong
Wrath
Stevie J. Cole is an amazing romance/suspense author and I cannot wait to read more of her work!
September 19, 2016
Darkest Before Dawn is a captive trope that delves into the darkness within a person's psyche. Not just the captor- but that of the captive also. Max Carter was raised within the life of the mob. He's not a good guy. He doesn't bat an eyelash at killing the filth in this world. Does that make him good or bad? On the hunt to find his missing sister, Max infiltrates the world of human trafficking. He becomes them to get her back. But somewhere along the way, he meets his game-changer. Her name is Ava Donovan and their life connections date back to some of the worst memories in his life. She just doesn't know it yet...
Being captured and watching her boyfriend get murdered wasn't on the docket for tonight's date night with Bronson. Being held in a filthy cold basement wasn't either. She's cold, angry and terrified...and then Max walks in. He's beautifully dark. With time, his darkness and beauty shines a light in the world she's being captive in. Stockholm Syndrome? General f@cked-upness on her part? Time will tell. All she knows is she should hate him. But she doesn't...
Ava is his victim but suddenly Max feels he's no longer in control. Is she a wolf in sheep's clothing or is she just as broken as he is? Does she too crave the darkness?
Darkest Before Dawn is symbolic to loving all parts of a person- even the darkness inside. That everyone is perfect and sometimes those imperfections are the true draw for two people and the adhesive that makes their love stick. It's not all hearts and flowers fluff in this love story...though it is still a love story shrouded in its darkness.
Advanced copy received by author in exchange for my honest review.
September 21, 2016
I'm always game for a good old Stockholm Syndrome and this book has sufficient darkness and hotness to make it a good read. However, I do have to confess that apart from the high impact prologue, the first half the book was lost to me.
The idea that the kidnappers are trying to sell love is hard to understand. Seeing the hero, Max's sister's demise, we knew that the concept doesn't really work anyway. In the beginning, Max is all prince charming, as charming as a captor could be in this scenario. He is all Mr. Nice Guy and I'm confused whether is he play acting or genuinely like the heroine. Maybe a little bit of both, but he didn't give off the vibe being an anti-hero.
The heroine, Ava is a girl with a scarred past, which is her excuse for having feelings for her captor. She is a bit fucked up in the head and most of the time I don't really get her. I don't even get their initially connection.
But things did get better for me during the second half whereby the plot finally escalated to some violence. I'm bloodthirsty enough to savor those moment of Max's brutality. I also finally see the connection they have with their shared horrible past.
Mini spoiler regarding the prologue,
The idea that the kidnappers are trying to sell love is hard to understand. Seeing the hero, Max's sister's demise, we knew that the concept doesn't really work anyway. In the beginning, Max is all prince charming, as charming as a captor could be in this scenario. He is all Mr. Nice Guy and I'm confused whether is he play acting or genuinely like the heroine. Maybe a little bit of both, but he didn't give off the vibe being an anti-hero.
The heroine, Ava is a girl with a scarred past, which is her excuse for having feelings for her captor. She is a bit fucked up in the head and most of the time I don't really get her. I don't even get their initially connection.
But things did get better for me during the second half whereby the plot finally escalated to some violence. I'm bloodthirsty enough to savor those moment of Max's brutality. I also finally see the connection they have with their shared horrible past.
Mini spoiler regarding the prologue,
September 19, 2016
Darkest Before Dawn by Stevie J Cole
4 stars!!!
Darkest Before Dawn is a book of tragedy, one after the other. Where one tragedy fuels another and the cycle is endless…until one man makes a difference. It is a book of grief and desperation and a clever manipulation of your heart and head, where the author gives you a dose of Stockholm Syndrome as you cannot help but fall in love with a captor…a captor with a heart. A captor whose heart should be black and shrivelled, the life he was made to live and leave being the cause of its destruction. But, because of that life, he had the propensity to love, he had morals and scruples and despite the black he is surrounded by, he finally found his chink of light. A chink of light that may be lit just for him, he saved her once, can he save her again?
Stevie J Cole weaves a clever tale and one that I read from start to finish without coming up for air. With a prologue like that you know that you are in for one hell of a bumpy, emotional ride and yet while it didn’t deliver what I had imagined, what it did, I loved. This was not as dark as I expected, maybe that is a result of some evil minds in this author world that just deliver all kinds of crazy. But what Steve J Cole delivered was a love story borne from the most horrendous of situations, where the life ribbons of our past cross and weave and lightening definitely strikes twice, where karma knows no bounds and fate has its own morbid way on delivering your soul mate. That one person that understands you completely, the light and the dark, where your heart beats for another and where no matter what is deemed right or wrong, love always wins. When your heart chooses, a life without is one not worth living.
Max was exposed to death and tragedy in the worst possible way, but born into a family with mafia ties it was a foregone conclusion that his exposure was inevitable. An exposure that would leave its mark and would forever alter his path. The only family Max had left was his sister and when she goes missing he makes it his mission to find her and eradicate the scum that had the balls to take her. Max has to infiltrate the traffickers who steal these women off the streets, break them and sell them on to rich men to do whatever the hell they want. He becomes one of them, the master manipulator, the saviour of their nightmares. He makes them love him, but what happens when one makes you love them back?
Ava, a woman born into wealth but a wealth born of blood money. Her father is a hitman and while she has never been on the frontline she knows what goes on behind the scenes. She is clever, she is smart but she is also wounded. Wounded by a past and secrets that have never been told, a past that has sculpted her into the person she is today, a woman chasing the dark when only presented with light. When she is kidnapped and held captive in a dark basement has she finally found the dark she has been desperately craving. With a permanent sense of fear what happens when the captor she should be afraid of the most, suddenly becomes her strength?
I don’t want to say too much about this story, the intricate layers that Stevie J Cole delivers need to be read first hand and experienced in the way the author intended. In a tragic tale that may have had my eyes leaking a few times as the author cleverly unwinds their back stories and you see they have more in common than you think. Where pain and heartbreak are commonalities and where to find love in the dark you need to have experienced it to fall. Where people are happy to label and make blanket generalisations but actually really don’t understand. Their circumstances may have been unconventional but their love wasn’t. It takes the broken to understand the broken, but maybe, just maybe, these two maybe the glue for one another to make themselves whole. They will never be “normal” but they will live their normal but at least they would be happy…
www.theromancecover.com
4 stars!!!
“…what good is freedom to a bird who has no wings?”
Darkest Before Dawn is a book of tragedy, one after the other. Where one tragedy fuels another and the cycle is endless…until one man makes a difference. It is a book of grief and desperation and a clever manipulation of your heart and head, where the author gives you a dose of Stockholm Syndrome as you cannot help but fall in love with a captor…a captor with a heart. A captor whose heart should be black and shrivelled, the life he was made to live and leave being the cause of its destruction. But, because of that life, he had the propensity to love, he had morals and scruples and despite the black he is surrounded by, he finally found his chink of light. A chink of light that may be lit just for him, he saved her once, can he save her again?
“It’s not why I’m keeping you here that matters, it’s why I’m not letting you go…”
Stevie J Cole weaves a clever tale and one that I read from start to finish without coming up for air. With a prologue like that you know that you are in for one hell of a bumpy, emotional ride and yet while it didn’t deliver what I had imagined, what it did, I loved. This was not as dark as I expected, maybe that is a result of some evil minds in this author world that just deliver all kinds of crazy. But what Steve J Cole delivered was a love story borne from the most horrendous of situations, where the life ribbons of our past cross and weave and lightening definitely strikes twice, where karma knows no bounds and fate has its own morbid way on delivering your soul mate. That one person that understands you completely, the light and the dark, where your heart beats for another and where no matter what is deemed right or wrong, love always wins. When your heart chooses, a life without is one not worth living.
“Love – out of all the emotions there are, is the one which can cause the greatest upheaval of a person’s soul for it is the only emotion that promises to give you something in return. Even when that emotion is nothing more than a lie…”
Max was exposed to death and tragedy in the worst possible way, but born into a family with mafia ties it was a foregone conclusion that his exposure was inevitable. An exposure that would leave its mark and would forever alter his path. The only family Max had left was his sister and when she goes missing he makes it his mission to find her and eradicate the scum that had the balls to take her. Max has to infiltrate the traffickers who steal these women off the streets, break them and sell them on to rich men to do whatever the hell they want. He becomes one of them, the master manipulator, the saviour of their nightmares. He makes them love him, but what happens when one makes you love them back?
“He fucks me with his movements and makes love to me with his words.”
Ava, a woman born into wealth but a wealth born of blood money. Her father is a hitman and while she has never been on the frontline she knows what goes on behind the scenes. She is clever, she is smart but she is also wounded. Wounded by a past and secrets that have never been told, a past that has sculpted her into the person she is today, a woman chasing the dark when only presented with light. When she is kidnapped and held captive in a dark basement has she finally found the dark she has been desperately craving. With a permanent sense of fear what happens when the captor she should be afraid of the most, suddenly becomes her strength?
“The door slams shut and I’m left to self-reflect on the fact that, since the day I was born, I have found comfort in the arms of a murderer.”
I don’t want to say too much about this story, the intricate layers that Stevie J Cole delivers need to be read first hand and experienced in the way the author intended. In a tragic tale that may have had my eyes leaking a few times as the author cleverly unwinds their back stories and you see they have more in common than you think. Where pain and heartbreak are commonalities and where to find love in the dark you need to have experienced it to fall. Where people are happy to label and make blanket generalisations but actually really don’t understand. Their circumstances may have been unconventional but their love wasn’t. It takes the broken to understand the broken, but maybe, just maybe, these two maybe the glue for one another to make themselves whole. They will never be “normal” but they will live their normal but at least they would be happy…
“I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul…” ~ Pablo Neruda
www.theromancecover.com
October 17, 2016
10 "Between Shadow & Soul" Stars
This. Is. Hands. Down. One of the Best. Books. I've. Ever. Read!!!
So going into this one, I totally underestimated it. I thought this is just gonna be a delicious dark read. My guilty pleasure, maybe some twists & turns but nothing earth shattering or heart-stopping. Boy, was I thrown for a loop. I was so sucked in, I lost track of time & reality around me. I fell so far down, I'm talking ugly cry. I battled a headache & left my best friend in the dust for this book.
I will Definitely ReRead this book more than once. It's a 1st time for me from this author but with just 1 read, I ordered 3 of her other books & am now following this author. The writing is beautiful and insightful into the very developed but at the same time very complicated characters. I've read some good books this year, but this little hidden gem right here was so far beyond that, it's not even in the same area code. Thought provoking quotes that stay with you after the book is finished. Ms. Cole is insanely talented. Thank you, thank you, thank you Ms. Cole. I will even forgive you for my now severe book hangover.
This. Is. Hands. Down. One of the Best. Books. I've. Ever. Read!!!
So going into this one, I totally underestimated it. I thought this is just gonna be a delicious dark read. My guilty pleasure, maybe some twists & turns but nothing earth shattering or heart-stopping. Boy, was I thrown for a loop. I was so sucked in, I lost track of time & reality around me. I fell so far down, I'm talking ugly cry. I battled a headache & left my best friend in the dust for this book.
I will Definitely ReRead this book more than once. It's a 1st time for me from this author but with just 1 read, I ordered 3 of her other books & am now following this author. The writing is beautiful and insightful into the very developed but at the same time very complicated characters. I've read some good books this year, but this little hidden gem right here was so far beyond that, it's not even in the same area code. Thought provoking quotes that stay with you after the book is finished. Ms. Cole is insanely talented. Thank you, thank you, thank you Ms. Cole. I will even forgive you for my now severe book hangover.
September 18, 2016
~ 4 "Unsteady" Stars ~
This is my first Stevie J. Cole book and I can’t figure out why I haven’t read her work before. I can promise you that this won’t be my last. What a great introduction for me. I knew I was going to enjoy this book based off the prologue. I was captivated from the start.
Max lives in a family that is no stranger to crime. At the young age of sixteen, he’s faced with what will be one of his most difficult, life altering decisions. The decision of who lives and who dies. That horrific experience helped shaped the man that he is now.
Ava also grew up in a family full of crime. She has had a couple of very bad incidents when she was younger but overall, she is cherished by her family and is her Daddy’s princess. Unfortunately, those incidents left a mark on her soul and her mind. There’s a little bit of darkness in her that most people don’t recognize.
While trying to live her life like a normal nineteen year old, Ava is abducted and forced into captivity. Her captive is Max. Unknown to both of them until Ava is take, their families have crossed paths and have a pretty deep history. Those sixty-four days in captivity is full of fear, loneliness and confusion. How is is possible that the one man who is holding her captive is the one man who actually saves her?
There are so many different elements in this story that they are intertwined and woven to produce one captivating story. A story that is dark and sad yet hopeful. It’s a mixture of emotions to keep you guessing and thinking. The thinking is one of my favorite parts about it. There’s a clinical term for what people believe Ava is going through but everyone is so quick to latch on to that so fast that there isn’t any room to look past what people believe is the obvious. This story makes you look beyond the quick stereotype casting and sit and think about how it could actually be so much more.
I really enjoyed the progression of Ava. She’s in a very difficult and dangerous situation yet she remains strong and resilient. For the most part. She’s always had a little bit if insecurities stemming from her past so when those come out during her captivity, Max tends to help heal her. These two are completely broken people and yet they are perfect for each other.
“Two broken people together – that will either end in something so unreal and raw that all those fractured pieces of the tow of us will fuse together or we will only break each other further until nothing is left.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and if you are looking for a dark romance that will not only keep you on an emotional ride but keep you thinking, then this might be the book for you. Give it a go. Who knows it might just capture you.
*ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review*
This is my first Stevie J. Cole book and I can’t figure out why I haven’t read her work before. I can promise you that this won’t be my last. What a great introduction for me. I knew I was going to enjoy this book based off the prologue. I was captivated from the start.
Max lives in a family that is no stranger to crime. At the young age of sixteen, he’s faced with what will be one of his most difficult, life altering decisions. The decision of who lives and who dies. That horrific experience helped shaped the man that he is now.
Ava also grew up in a family full of crime. She has had a couple of very bad incidents when she was younger but overall, she is cherished by her family and is her Daddy’s princess. Unfortunately, those incidents left a mark on her soul and her mind. There’s a little bit of darkness in her that most people don’t recognize.
While trying to live her life like a normal nineteen year old, Ava is abducted and forced into captivity. Her captive is Max. Unknown to both of them until Ava is take, their families have crossed paths and have a pretty deep history. Those sixty-four days in captivity is full of fear, loneliness and confusion. How is is possible that the one man who is holding her captive is the one man who actually saves her?
There are so many different elements in this story that they are intertwined and woven to produce one captivating story. A story that is dark and sad yet hopeful. It’s a mixture of emotions to keep you guessing and thinking. The thinking is one of my favorite parts about it. There’s a clinical term for what people believe Ava is going through but everyone is so quick to latch on to that so fast that there isn’t any room to look past what people believe is the obvious. This story makes you look beyond the quick stereotype casting and sit and think about how it could actually be so much more.
I really enjoyed the progression of Ava. She’s in a very difficult and dangerous situation yet she remains strong and resilient. For the most part. She’s always had a little bit if insecurities stemming from her past so when those come out during her captivity, Max tends to help heal her. These two are completely broken people and yet they are perfect for each other.
“Two broken people together – that will either end in something so unreal and raw that all those fractured pieces of the tow of us will fuse together or we will only break each other further until nothing is left.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and if you are looking for a dark romance that will not only keep you on an emotional ride but keep you thinking, then this might be the book for you. Give it a go. Who knows it might just capture you.
*ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review*
September 20, 2016
Title: Darkest Before Dawn
Author: Stevie J. Cole
Series: standalone
Genre: dark romance
Themes: forced slavery, kidnapped
Heat: 2/5
Rating: 3/5
This may be the first book I've read by Cole, but I definitely won't be the last. I really did enjoy immersing myself in this one, though I have to admit I was slightly disappointed in the dark factor, expecting something a lot grittier and more brutal. Maybe I've just read too many dark books recentlyand I'm now broken inside. I was also hoping for a little more on the erotica side, too, but these sex scenes didn't quite do it for me.
Aside from these slight disappointments, I thought Cole weaved a highly intriguing story with a clear message about loving the darkness inside others, or indeed loving them because of their darkness. This shone through and gave the story a much deeper focus than I'm used to reading in the dark genre.
Cole's writing style is excellent, wonderfully fluent and clear, and towards the end I absolutely became attached emotionally to the characters, and was rooting for the resolving of their issues despite the questions of morality attached to it. It was the ending which really sold me on this book; yes, I was disappointed in the lack of dark, gritty, sexy scenes, but there was an element of originality in the conclusion which I very much enjoyed, especially with the question of whether love is valid if it's the result of manipulation.
This is a story of two people entangled by fate, loving one another because of their mutual scars and darkness. It may not have the gritty brutality I was hoping for, or even that much erotica, but it is still a story well worth reading.
Author: Stevie J. Cole
Series: standalone
Genre: dark romance
Themes: forced slavery, kidnapped
Heat: 2/5
Rating: 3/5
This may be the first book I've read by Cole, but I definitely won't be the last. I really did enjoy immersing myself in this one, though I have to admit I was slightly disappointed in the dark factor, expecting something a lot grittier and more brutal. Maybe I've just read too many dark books recently
Abuse cracks the mirror of self-perception, causing flaws in the way you view yourself and the way you accept how others view you.
Aside from these slight disappointments, I thought Cole weaved a highly intriguing story with a clear message about loving the darkness inside others, or indeed loving them because of their darkness. This shone through and gave the story a much deeper focus than I'm used to reading in the dark genre.
I feel much like Lucifer luring an angel from the realms of heaven; however, the devil wouldn't feel guilt pressing down on him like I do.
Cole's writing style is excellent, wonderfully fluent and clear, and towards the end I absolutely became attached emotionally to the characters, and was rooting for the resolving of their issues despite the questions of morality attached to it. It was the ending which really sold me on this book; yes, I was disappointed in the lack of dark, gritty, sexy scenes, but there was an element of originality in the conclusion which I very much enjoyed, especially with the question of whether love is valid if it's the result of manipulation.
Two broken people together - that will either end in something so unreal and raw that all those fractured pieces of the two of us will fuse together or we will only break each other further until nothing is left.
This is a story of two people entangled by fate, loving one another because of their mutual scars and darkness. It may not have the gritty brutality I was hoping for, or even that much erotica, but it is still a story well worth reading.
dnf
May 4, 2017DNF@46 Slow and Boring. Ava isn't likable, it's obvious she's had something terrible happen to her and she allows men to have sex with her if they want because it makes her feel wanted. She is upset because she feels Max her sexy captor isn't paying her attention and doesn't seem to want her sexually so she feels worthless WTF??? Max is looking for his sister so he starts working for some bad guys training captives to love. Sorry I'm done.
March 27, 2018
DARKEST BEFORE DAWN isn't, "dark" dark erotica but more of a, "dark romance". It's a tale of unexpected and totally unconventional love. Stevie J. Cole delivered a romance that was uncommon, thought-provoking and for me, very intense. In my opinion, what made this book so extraordinary was that I didn't have to wonder if this was a case of Stockholm Syndrome or not because the main characters questioned that themselves, their debate over this question comprising part of the story.
I really enjoyed this book! There were numerous twists and turns, each of them eventually connecting. Although there were a few periods where I felt that the introspection and musing was a bit excessive, overall the story had a steady pace from start to finish. I fell in love with the characters and their extremely unique situation. I recommend this book to anyone who likes unique, gritty romances.
I really enjoyed this book! There were numerous twists and turns, each of them eventually connecting. Although there were a few periods where I felt that the introspection and musing was a bit excessive, overall the story had a steady pace from start to finish. I fell in love with the characters and their extremely unique situation. I recommend this book to anyone who likes unique, gritty romances.
March 11, 2022
Because to be honest, in the sense of love, everyone wants to be held captive.
And where the darkness ends, the dawn begins…
November 22, 2022
With Darkest Before Dawn, Stevie J. Cole plunged me into her dark and twisted atmosphere. I am a fan of this author's work and once again, she didn't disappoint, delivering a raw and deep story.
The characters touched me, I strongly felt the tragedy, or should I say tragedies. The darkness crept in me, and I loved every minute of it.
The characters touched me, I strongly felt the tragedy, or should I say tragedies. The darkness crept in me, and I loved every minute of it.
September 18, 2016
Dark. Gritty. Intense. An absolute thrilling read! Stevie J. Cole continues to impress in this genre!
In DARKEST BEFORE DAWN, the author weaves her web of tragedy, manipulation, and desperation. It's about a man so desperate to find the only person he has left in this world, he will do anything and everything to get answers. He will become a monster and a master manipulator. But after doing it for so long...and still with NO answers, you have to wonder if he got himself in too deep. Ava Donovan was never in the plan. She was a vibrant soul who wasn't supposed to have this life. Or so he thought. Ava is chasing the dark, just like Max. The question is, can two black souls ever find the light?
"You're a bad person, a very bad person, Max."
"Depends on your definition of bad," I say.
"You are my definition of bad."
This book made my heart skip a beat. With every turn of the page, you dive deeper into the dark minds of Max and Ava. There is a past connection that brought them together, but it's that connection that could tear them apart for good. Only Stevie J. Cole can make me sympathize and fall head over heels for a cold-blooded murderer and master manipulator. Max's moral compass is damaged, his soul is black, and his past is brutal, but that doesn't lessen the intrigue at all. You could say that his intentions are good, but he would tell you to go fuck yourself. He has a soft spot for Ava, and their connection is primal, brutal, and desperate. They're combustible. Their passion knows no bounds. You think you know how their story is going to end, but I think you might be surprised on that front.
"Never...never did I imagine by setting you free I was killing you."
Will Ava and Max be able to find the beauty within the darkness?
In DARKEST BEFORE DAWN, the author weaves her web of tragedy, manipulation, and desperation. It's about a man so desperate to find the only person he has left in this world, he will do anything and everything to get answers. He will become a monster and a master manipulator. But after doing it for so long...and still with NO answers, you have to wonder if he got himself in too deep. Ava Donovan was never in the plan. She was a vibrant soul who wasn't supposed to have this life. Or so he thought. Ava is chasing the dark, just like Max. The question is, can two black souls ever find the light?
"You're a bad person, a very bad person, Max."
"Depends on your definition of bad," I say.
"You are my definition of bad."
This book made my heart skip a beat. With every turn of the page, you dive deeper into the dark minds of Max and Ava. There is a past connection that brought them together, but it's that connection that could tear them apart for good. Only Stevie J. Cole can make me sympathize and fall head over heels for a cold-blooded murderer and master manipulator. Max's moral compass is damaged, his soul is black, and his past is brutal, but that doesn't lessen the intrigue at all. You could say that his intentions are good, but he would tell you to go fuck yourself. He has a soft spot for Ava, and their connection is primal, brutal, and desperate. They're combustible. Their passion knows no bounds. You think you know how their story is going to end, but I think you might be surprised on that front.
"Never...never did I imagine by setting you free I was killing you."
Will Ava and Max be able to find the beauty within the darkness?
April 12, 2017
5 Roller Coaster of Emotion Stars
Wow, just wow, this was my first read by this author and although I have most of her books on my Kindle I have NO idea why I haven't read them yet, lol, BUT you can guarantee that I will be re-visiting her work ASAP!!!!!!!!
Yes, this was dark but not the darkest I have ever read but there was ONE particular disturbing scene I read that I had wished had NOT happened BUT hell, that's what I was expecting going in.
I FLOVED Max and Ava, like to the moon and back loved BOTH of these characters immensely!!!!!! Max, oh gosh, I was SWOONING HARD over him and my love for Ava was exactly the same. I loved their chemistry, their connection, their inner dialogues, HELL, I LOVED everything about this read and the characters. I got a sexy, alpha male and a total girl crush for my female lead, couldn't have asked for more.
I read this on a 6 hour flight last night and let me tell you, I was HOOKED from the start until the very end. The ending, I loved BUT would have loved to have seen much more into their future because HELL YES, I am SO greedy like that especially when I am in total love with my characters:)
Awesome job Author Stevie J. Cole....I am fan for life:)
Wow, just wow, this was my first read by this author and although I have most of her books on my Kindle I have NO idea why I haven't read them yet, lol, BUT you can guarantee that I will be re-visiting her work ASAP!!!!!!!!
Yes, this was dark but not the darkest I have ever read but there was ONE particular disturbing scene I read that I had wished had NOT happened BUT hell, that's what I was expecting going in.
I FLOVED Max and Ava, like to the moon and back loved BOTH of these characters immensely!!!!!! Max, oh gosh, I was SWOONING HARD over him and my love for Ava was exactly the same. I loved their chemistry, their connection, their inner dialogues, HELL, I LOVED everything about this read and the characters. I got a sexy, alpha male and a total girl crush for my female lead, couldn't have asked for more.
I read this on a 6 hour flight last night and let me tell you, I was HOOKED from the start until the very end. The ending, I loved BUT would have loved to have seen much more into their future because HELL YES, I am SO greedy like that especially when I am in total love with my characters:)
Awesome job Author Stevie J. Cole....I am fan for life:)
September 22, 2016
This book ended up being a 3.5 for me. It was a bit short of meeting my expectations. I've read some of Stevie J Cole's previous work that were collaborations with LP Lovell and loved them. The writing was great but I couldn't quite connect with Max or Ava nor the story line itself.
When I began the story, the Prologue immediately grabbed a hold of me. I thought, "this is going to be good," but it kind of fizzled a bit after that. It picked up for me toward the end for a short minute but didn't give me the feeling of fulfillment by the time I reached the end.
I really think it was mostly the story itself that evaded me. Perhaps I was expected more dark, something more intense. The characters themselves were good. Max was a man that tried to stay out of the criminal world he grew up in but ended up getting pulled back in. In an effort to carry out his mission, he had to embrace his dark side (which really wasn't all that dark...he was just a badass). Ava, too, grew up in the criminal world so she wasn't determined by events that happened to her. She had already been broken at a young age so her reaction to events that lead to her and Max coming together wasn't what a normal person would have been.
In their time together, they connection drew them closer; however, neither could be certain if their feelings were real or a result of their circumstances. That is one part that I did like about the book because I found myself wondering the same thing.
All in all, the story as a whole was good and the writing was great... it just lacked a bit of oomph I was hoping for. I would still recommend it for those that are curious about dark romances or like to dip their toes in this type of romance every once in a while. In my opinion, it wasn't too dark for those that may be a bit faint of heart.
When I began the story, the Prologue immediately grabbed a hold of me. I thought, "this is going to be good," but it kind of fizzled a bit after that. It picked up for me toward the end for a short minute but didn't give me the feeling of fulfillment by the time I reached the end.
I really think it was mostly the story itself that evaded me. Perhaps I was expected more dark, something more intense. The characters themselves were good. Max was a man that tried to stay out of the criminal world he grew up in but ended up getting pulled back in. In an effort to carry out his mission, he had to embrace his dark side (which really wasn't all that dark...he was just a badass). Ava, too, grew up in the criminal world so she wasn't determined by events that happened to her. She had already been broken at a young age so her reaction to events that lead to her and Max coming together wasn't what a normal person would have been.
In their time together, they connection drew them closer; however, neither could be certain if their feelings were real or a result of their circumstances. That is one part that I did like about the book because I found myself wondering the same thing.
All in all, the story as a whole was good and the writing was great... it just lacked a bit of oomph I was hoping for. I would still recommend it for those that are curious about dark romances or like to dip their toes in this type of romance every once in a while. In my opinion, it wasn't too dark for those that may be a bit faint of heart.
March 8, 2018
The last weeks have been real ups and downs on my reading journey – I couldn’t pinpoint what kind of genre I wanted to read and than I really had a string of books that really let my overthink my politics on not posting reviews of 1 star books. (I rarely post those).
I knew I needed something different so the book “Darkest Before Dawn” by Stevie J. Cole came just right. Its been a long time now that I read something dark and an even longer time since I read something dark that actually remained dark and not by some miracle became fluffy and sugary towards the end.
And again this book is even there a little different because it has sufficient closure for the reader (yes I refrain on purpose from telling if it has a HEA/HFN or not – because all of that is part of the journey) From what I saw on the authors profile this is not her first journey into darker territories but I feel she is one of those authors that will have developed a style that is always getting better and better with each book she wrote.
So I strongly suspect that I might not like her older books – bot because they are not good but because she simply became better. I am just saying this for other readers consideration that – just in case they also consider to read older books from her- they should read the older ones first.
This book walks a fine line between human trafficking, kidnapping, the Stockholm syndrome, BDSM and LOVE. Love knows no boundaries and how should a person that has never been in a certain situation be able to judge fair on others.
The leading characters a no knights in shining armor. Actually probably not even decent citizens when considered through the eyes of the law – but it is what it is and the author did a great job telling their story.
I admit parts I understood – others I can only pretend to understand as I have never been faced with such a situation. But the author brought them as near to the reader as possible and explained their reasoning as best as she could.
In the end there were some words that only proved that point to me. So I think we should always try to see both sides of a story.
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September 18, 2016
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Darkest before Dawn by Stevie J Cole
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
What the what what did I just read? How can Stevie make me love a crazy cold blooded killer? How does she do this to me? How does she get into my head and make me fall for the darkest and blackest of souls and feel they are worth my love and devotion?? HOW!!!
Max…I mean if the prologue doesn’t make you understand what is up with him then you should read anymore. I mean that will mess anyone up…and mess him up it did. Max is not a good guy. Period. He is a bad guy looking to save his sister but in the mix he finds her…Ava.
Ava was out with her boyfriend when she is kidnapped and stuck in a human trafficking situation. I mean not the way you expect your date to go. When she sees Max she is scared but after time she feels safer with him…uhm what!! How do you feel safer with someone who is involved with this stuff but they do.
As the story unfolds we see that Max and Ava have a past connection. A connection we didn’t see coming. Max and Ava’s love story is not hearts and flowers people. If you are wanting a traditional love story welllllll why in the heck did you grab this author because she doesn’t do traditional at all. If you like dark and twisted with a side of what the heck did I read then you will love Max and Ava’s story.
www.Twinsietalk.com
www.Facebook.com/Twinsietalk
www.Twitter.com/Twinsietalk
www.Tsu.co/Twinsietalk
Newsletter : http://eepurl.com/brwkPv
Darkest before Dawn by Stevie J Cole
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
What the what what did I just read? How can Stevie make me love a crazy cold blooded killer? How does she do this to me? How does she get into my head and make me fall for the darkest and blackest of souls and feel they are worth my love and devotion?? HOW!!!
Max…I mean if the prologue doesn’t make you understand what is up with him then you should read anymore. I mean that will mess anyone up…and mess him up it did. Max is not a good guy. Period. He is a bad guy looking to save his sister but in the mix he finds her…Ava.
Ava was out with her boyfriend when she is kidnapped and stuck in a human trafficking situation. I mean not the way you expect your date to go. When she sees Max she is scared but after time she feels safer with him…uhm what!! How do you feel safer with someone who is involved with this stuff but they do.
As the story unfolds we see that Max and Ava have a past connection. A connection we didn’t see coming. Max and Ava’s love story is not hearts and flowers people. If you are wanting a traditional love story welllllll why in the heck did you grab this author because she doesn’t do traditional at all. If you like dark and twisted with a side of what the heck did I read then you will love Max and Ava’s story.
September 18, 2016
Darkest before Dawn was not what I expected. It's a daring twist on a love story born from the dark. Fate has intervened by bringing two people together who have a past connection unbeknownst to them. Their love is born from the darkest parts of their soul. I will warn you this is not a love story to be taken lightly. It delves deep into a dark place that isn't for everyone. This is dark, gritty and raw.
Max Carter has a dark past. He has tried to leave his past behind and move forward. However when his sister had gone missing, he delved back into the dark to find her. He's taken on the role as a trainer, he breaks woman who will be sold as sex slaves. He's gained entrance into the ring that took his sister and is searching for the master mind.
Ava Donovan has been abducted and held captive in order to be broken and sold. It's Max's job to break Ava and prepare her for her new life. Ava isn't his usual captive, she's not a prostitute or drug user. She had a life, friends and she's Frank Donovan's daughter, a violent, ruthless hitman. She will not break that easily, when she's already broken.
Max and Ava have been tied together for a long time as their pasts are intertwined and their darkness is shared. The story moves quickly and there is plenty of heartache and raw emotions. It's hard to put down but well worth the late night. 4 Star
Max Carter has a dark past. He has tried to leave his past behind and move forward. However when his sister had gone missing, he delved back into the dark to find her. He's taken on the role as a trainer, he breaks woman who will be sold as sex slaves. He's gained entrance into the ring that took his sister and is searching for the master mind.
Ava Donovan has been abducted and held captive in order to be broken and sold. It's Max's job to break Ava and prepare her for her new life. Ava isn't his usual captive, she's not a prostitute or drug user. She had a life, friends and she's Frank Donovan's daughter, a violent, ruthless hitman. She will not break that easily, when she's already broken.
Max and Ava have been tied together for a long time as their pasts are intertwined and their darkness is shared. The story moves quickly and there is plenty of heartache and raw emotions. It's hard to put down but well worth the late night. 4 Star
September 18, 2016
Have you ever read a book that spoke to the darkest part of your soul that it scared you? I have and my darkness wouldn't let go.
I've never read a Stevie J. Cole book. My co blogger told me that she absolutely loved her and I needed to read her ASAP. I'm so glad I did.
This book is about Ava and Max. Ava was abducted at 19 and Max is the one who is supposed to condition her to love him by breaking her completely. What he wasn't expecting was to fall in love with someone whose demons were just as dark as his own.
"And in my head I recite a line from Pablo Neruda: I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul."
Max tries to protect her but he fails to protect her from himself. I love the dynamics between Ava and Max. Their souls were destined to be together regardless of how they got there. It's unconventional but love knows no bounds.
Darkest Before Dawn is a beautiful, raw, heart stopping dark read that will leave you questioning your own morals for hours after. Stevie J. Cole wrote a beautiful masterpiece of what happens when two dark souls meet in unconventional ways.
I've never read a Stevie J. Cole book. My co blogger told me that she absolutely loved her and I needed to read her ASAP. I'm so glad I did.
This book is about Ava and Max. Ava was abducted at 19 and Max is the one who is supposed to condition her to love him by breaking her completely. What he wasn't expecting was to fall in love with someone whose demons were just as dark as his own.
"And in my head I recite a line from Pablo Neruda: I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul."
Max tries to protect her but he fails to protect her from himself. I love the dynamics between Ava and Max. Their souls were destined to be together regardless of how they got there. It's unconventional but love knows no bounds.
Darkest Before Dawn is a beautiful, raw, heart stopping dark read that will leave you questioning your own morals for hours after. Stevie J. Cole wrote a beautiful masterpiece of what happens when two dark souls meet in unconventional ways.
June 9, 2018
I am a huge fan of author Stevie J Cole but while this book is dark and very readable for some reason it wasn't the surefire home run I'm used to from her.
Ava Donovan is abducted in and held in a basement the sole purpose is to break her and then sell her. Max Carter is tasked with breaking her and getting her ready for sale. There are multiple problems with this. See Max is doing this job to get closer to the men who run the ring so he can find information that will lead to his sister Lily, who was taken and sold. Another problem is Ava;s father is the man that through his family into turmoil when he made Max kill his own dad. Then throw in the fact that Max killed a Donovan who raped Lily. Lots of webs leading to the spider.
As he goes about his routine to train he sees something in her that connects with him. They are both broken. But her loving him is the result of his actions, not her real feelings. When he decides to protect her he realizes his actions may be contradictive to what she really needs.
I liked the story I think it needed more than the 203 pgs, though, it read 'gappy' to me. A little rushed. But I still enjoyed it.
Ava Donovan is abducted in and held in a basement the sole purpose is to break her and then sell her. Max Carter is tasked with breaking her and getting her ready for sale. There are multiple problems with this. See Max is doing this job to get closer to the men who run the ring so he can find information that will lead to his sister Lily, who was taken and sold. Another problem is Ava;s father is the man that through his family into turmoil when he made Max kill his own dad. Then throw in the fact that Max killed a Donovan who raped Lily. Lots of webs leading to the spider.
As he goes about his routine to train he sees something in her that connects with him. They are both broken. But her loving him is the result of his actions, not her real feelings. When he decides to protect her he realizes his actions may be contradictive to what she really needs.
I liked the story I think it needed more than the 203 pgs, though, it read 'gappy' to me. A little rushed. But I still enjoyed it.
September 20, 2016
I've got to be honest and admit that it took me a little while to get into this book. I think that's because initially, I didn't really connect with Ava.
However, this is the web that Stevie J Cole has spun and I guarantee that if you take this journey, you are bound to be caught up.
Max is forced to return to a life he had left behind but he embraces the darkness for the better good. What he finds is that his light, is in fact darkness itself but can he accept it?
All Ava wants, is to forget and to be wanted. Things take a turn and she loses a part of herself. It's a part she doesn't want back, despite feeling destined to live a half-life.
This book is beautifully written. It so perfectly captures the feelings of despair, desperation, hope and love.
I cannot recommend this this book highly enough. It's emotive and thrilling and a must read in my opinion.
However, this is the web that Stevie J Cole has spun and I guarantee that if you take this journey, you are bound to be caught up.
Max is forced to return to a life he had left behind but he embraces the darkness for the better good. What he finds is that his light, is in fact darkness itself but can he accept it?
All Ava wants, is to forget and to be wanted. Things take a turn and she loses a part of herself. It's a part she doesn't want back, despite feeling destined to live a half-life.
This book is beautifully written. It so perfectly captures the feelings of despair, desperation, hope and love.
I cannot recommend this this book highly enough. It's emotive and thrilling and a must read in my opinion.
December 27, 2020
Stevie J. Cole
There’s a darkness that runs through my veins most people will never understand, because honestly, to understand someone like me you have to have that same dark devil creeping through your blood as well.
RTC!
September 17, 2016
Gritty and dark!!!! Loved it. Max & Ava took me for an extremely dark and bumpy ride!
Review to come!!
4 Stars
Review to come!!
4 Stars
October 3, 2016
I did like this read only I felt like I was waiting for something to happen, but that ending was beautifully creepy:))
April 11, 2017
This woman can write dark...and totally messed up broken people very well...and what does it say about ME that I get it and can relate?
I wasn't sure how I would feel about the whole revenge/coincidence/fate type of plot...but I think it worked out very well in the end. Ava and Max were brought together by a twist of fate and they absolutely needed each other to break down the walls of their horrible childhoods and the consequences of their family businesses...to find love and solace in each other's arms.
If you like mind-bending and heart-stopping suspenseful and dark stories, you will love this author's work...she never fails to shock, depress and titillate her readers with her crazy and depraved "romances".
**** 4 **** "they saved each other behind the walls" stars
I wasn't sure how I would feel about the whole revenge/coincidence/fate type of plot...but I think it worked out very well in the end. Ava and Max were brought together by a twist of fate and they absolutely needed each other to break down the walls of their horrible childhoods and the consequences of their family businesses...to find love and solace in each other's arms.
If you like mind-bending and heart-stopping suspenseful and dark stories, you will love this author's work...she never fails to shock, depress and titillate her readers with her crazy and depraved "romances".
**** 4 **** "they saved each other behind the walls" stars
September 22, 2016
4.5 stars
I'm having a hard time with this review. The more I think about what I've just finished reading, the higher my rating is. If I've learned anything from past experience reading Stevie Cole's books, it's that I never really know what to expect. But that's what I've come to love about them. She has made me a lover of the darkness.
64 days locked away in darkness. That's all it took to completely altar Ava Donovan. Her life has not been easy or pretty. She's seen her share of bad things. Her father is a bad man. All she wants is to be let go. Instead, she knows she'll never escape. That this is the room she expects to die in. Death would be better than being trapped in that room where the darkness that usually only haunts her at night is present all the time. She's in hell.
The only bright light is the man that brings her things; food, books, companionship. A bond is formed. The darkness that hides in both of them causes them to call to each other. Love - it's its own version of prison. When you love someone, that deep rooted love that not many get to experience, you're then chained to that person. Being away from them can make you wish for death. So what happens after the 64 days?
"There is so much you can tell about a person by the type of books they read."
If this is true, and I believe in a sense that it is, then what does this say about me? I get lost in these stories of torture, gripping death's door, wishing and hoping it would swallow you whole. Stevie Cole can write these kind like no other. She wrote this one almost poetically. What may seem like Stockholm Syndrome to some was actually so much more. You can't choose who you love, not when their soul calls to you on this deep of a level. Ava and Max understood the darkness that consumed them both. They both knew there wasn't anyone else out there who would love them because of it. That's what you have to find. Someone who loves you BECAUSE of the darkness in you, not the light. It's sends a powerful message. So does the author's note at the end. It made me look at the darker things in life and what they are. If someone can survive the darkness that consumes them then they're one of the strongest people. That's who I want to love.
**Read and reviewed for FMR Book Grind**
I'm having a hard time with this review. The more I think about what I've just finished reading, the higher my rating is. If I've learned anything from past experience reading Stevie Cole's books, it's that I never really know what to expect. But that's what I've come to love about them. She has made me a lover of the darkness.
64 days locked away in darkness. That's all it took to completely altar Ava Donovan. Her life has not been easy or pretty. She's seen her share of bad things. Her father is a bad man. All she wants is to be let go. Instead, she knows she'll never escape. That this is the room she expects to die in. Death would be better than being trapped in that room where the darkness that usually only haunts her at night is present all the time. She's in hell.
The only bright light is the man that brings her things; food, books, companionship. A bond is formed. The darkness that hides in both of them causes them to call to each other. Love - it's its own version of prison. When you love someone, that deep rooted love that not many get to experience, you're then chained to that person. Being away from them can make you wish for death. So what happens after the 64 days?
"There is so much you can tell about a person by the type of books they read."
If this is true, and I believe in a sense that it is, then what does this say about me? I get lost in these stories of torture, gripping death's door, wishing and hoping it would swallow you whole. Stevie Cole can write these kind like no other. She wrote this one almost poetically. What may seem like Stockholm Syndrome to some was actually so much more. You can't choose who you love, not when their soul calls to you on this deep of a level. Ava and Max understood the darkness that consumed them both. They both knew there wasn't anyone else out there who would love them because of it. That's what you have to find. Someone who loves you BECAUSE of the darkness in you, not the light. It's sends a powerful message. So does the author's note at the end. It made me look at the darker things in life and what they are. If someone can survive the darkness that consumes them then they're one of the strongest people. That's who I want to love.
**Read and reviewed for FMR Book Grind**
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