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My father is dead.
Murdered.
And I’m about to make a deal with the devil to keep my family safe and get the revenge my father deserves.
***
Wren’s the only woman I’ve ever loved, but that doesn’t mean we’re right for each other. Don’t get me wrong… the sex was always crazy hot. That’s never been the problem.  But Wren and me? We’re explosive together, all sorts of wrong for each other—and sooner or later, someone’s going to get burned. 

I walked away from Wren once, and broke her heart. She’s never going to forgive me or trust me again—but her mob boss father doesn't care. He's forcing me to marry her, and if I want to find out who’s threatening my family, this is my only option. As for Wren—she’s going to be pissed when she sees me, let alone when she finds out we’re getting hitched. Ask me if I care. 

The deal is done. One way or another, I'm making her my wife.

*** This is a darker adult romance with adult language and steamy sex scenes.  This story explores darker situations that may not be to everyone's tastes and some readers might find disturbing.  Though this story has a Happily Ever After for the couple and can be read as a stand alone, there are small plot points that will continue in upcoming books.  ***

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2016

860 people are currently reading
787 people want to read

About the author

Cali MacKay

48 books321 followers
Cali MacKay is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author. She lives in New England with her husband, two girls and their crazy mutt. When not tapping away on her laptop and getting her characters into trouble, she can be found designing book covers for other authors, wrangling her girls, and splicing DNA.

She's also a decent potter, adventurous cook, and a horrible gardener.

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5 stars
228 (28%)
4 stars
210 (26%)
3 stars
212 (26%)
2 stars
91 (11%)
1 star
49 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
Profile Image for CeCe.
3,612 reviews109 followers
March 5, 2018
Dual POV
Could not connect
Rich girl...blah. I don't care about those type of heroines.

“Wren had gone to college and gotten her degree, but as far as I knew, she hadn’t worked a hard day in her life. Teaching the occasional yoga class or picking up a dog-sitting gig every now and then didn’t exactly pay the bills..." (Loc 10%)

I was unable to connect to these characters. This did not work for me, but it may work for you. Reading is subjective.
Profile Image for 100sweet.
1,602 reviews
January 20, 2017
I did not like the OTT drama that cycled through this story. It was basically the h being angry, crying, and then having sex with the H. This went on and on. Plus, the h suffered from horrible abuse and then is abused again at the end. This was not good storytelling.
Profile Image for EpicRomanceReviews.
768 reviews142 followers
September 1, 2016
“You’re mine, little bird. And we’re getting married.”

FORCED by Cali MacKay is the first book I have had the pleasure of reading by this talented author, but it most certainly will not be my last! I was enthralled by this INTENSELY romantic, emotion-fraught second chance romance from start to finish!

In a nutshell, Ash Blackthorn is about to make a deal with the devil to keep his family safe and seek retribution for his father’s untimely demise but that entails being blackmailed into marrying the daughter of one of the most dangerous criminals on the West Coast. There’s just once itsy bitsy problem, his beautiful, tempestuous bride to be, Wren Turner, is hardly a stranger. They have a past…a messy, complicated past and she hates his guts for breaking her heart all those years ago. So much so she would rather forfeit her inheritance and starve than get hitched. So what’s a desperate alpha man to do? Force Wren into coming back home to Seattle with him, if it’s the last thing he does! Even before the ice between them starts to melt, an insatiable hunger that can’t be denied is rekindled between them, but not even blazing hot sex can fix what’s broke between them or wipe away the long buried secrets that could shatter both their worlds!

Holy moly…I absolutely loved this book!! Let’s start with Ash Blackthorn, a hot, swoony Alpha male with a sweet, tender side. He and his five brothers (Woot...which means more heartstoppingly sexy Blackthorn men to salivate over!) come from a family of “fixers” but they have decided to go legit and focus on their family run Blackthorn Whiskey distillery. However, first they have some unfinished business to take care of!! Which of course puts him back in the orbit of the only girl he ever loved. His biggest regret was bailing on Wren in their youth when the going got rough, but now he’s bound and determined to do right by his girl, make up for lost time and save his family in the process. Of course his impossibly defiant “little bird” makes life miserable for him in a futile attempt to try to get him to abandon his plans.

But Ash is as fiercely stubborn as she is sassy and headstrong and he is bound and determined to see his plan through. Even if he has to throw her over his shoulder--caveman style!-and force her to the alter! In addition to the fiery sparks and passionate discord between this couple what I truly relished was how sweet and doting Ash was. Sure he could be dominant and macho, but also lavished his “love” with so much care, compassion and gentle tenderness! He knew how to take care of his woman--in the bedroom and out--and it melted me into a great puddle of mush! And man oh man did he have the patience of a saint. Wren did not make it easy on the poor dude, fighting him every step of the way, and constantly trying to run away (though she had good reason). I love me a hot, sexy Alpha man who fights for his woman but is not a brute in the process.

“I’d made the mistake of abandoning her once, and wouldn’t do it again.”

And Wren…hmm…what can I say about this sweet, feisty, profoundly broken “little bird” who’d suffered a lifetime of nightmares and mistakes that kept coming back to haunt her? I am personally drawn to stories about broken heroines who are healed emotionally by love and this one was all that and MORE! She’d been repeatedly wronged by the people who should have been there for her—including Ash--and never fully recovered from losing him. After their breakup years ago, she’s been subjected to unspeakable horrors, and part of her resented Ash for not being there to protect her. Back then he’d been her only lifeline, and she’d thought she might drown in despair without him. But even though she initially spews venom toward Ash, deep down she craves his love, comfort, and most of all, his tender yet dominant touch. He loves and accepts her for who she is and doesn’t judge her “perverse” need to feel pain in order to accept pleasure.

Although this heroine without a doubt frustrated me at times with her constant waffling back and forth about whether she would marry him, I couldn’t help but feel for her because she’d had a really rough life and these two are meant to be because they left permanent marks on each others souls.

“I needed more, needed him to break me…needed him to shatter me into a million pieces, so he could put me back together again.”

But as impossible as it is to resist her all consuming attraction to Ash, she tries to keep him at arm’s length because she knows no one could undo the damage she’d endured and wants to spare him from getting sucked back into her messed up life. And the poor girl can’t catch a break. Midway through the book there is a MAJOR revelation—a game changer!!-- that she is forced to keep secret from the man she loves but the guilt is eating heir alive because once exposed she knew would drive him away forever. And then towards the end there is another HUGE, heartbreaking plot twist that I never saw coming.

In addition to the emotional fire between these two, the sexual chemistry between them was RED HOT! Ms. MacKay penned some of the hottest encounters (with a side of scintillating kink) I have ever read and it was not only tantalizing but emotionally charged as well. I just loved the connection between this couple, I FELT them deep down in my gut, and rooted for them to work things out, heal the scars of the past and survive their family drama with their hearts intact!!! I loved the raw, visceral emotion between this passionate duo and appreciated that there was no game playing between them or silly, contrived misunderstandings. This couple did the work…rolled up their sleeves and walked through fire for one another. At its core, this is an angsty, achingly beautiful second chance story about a man and a woman who have been torn apart in the past and fight tooth and nail to make up for lost time and pave a new beginning together.

“I’m never leaving you, little bird. You’re my whole world….my EVERYTHING.”

All in all this was a stellar read and I enjoyed it immensely. I think Ms. MacKay has a captivating narrative voice and really excels at wringing maximum emotion from each and every scene. The only reason I am rating this a four instead of five star because I felt the pacing was a bit stagnant in places because of all the back and forth about Wren refusing to marry him and constantly wanting to running away. I felt as if it they kept covering the same ground at times and there was not enough forward motion. Some of that could have been streamlined to make for a tighter read. And my only other qualm was although I loved Wren’s sass and feisty spirit, she across a tad too emotionally fragile because she was constantly crying. And though I am all for a big, strong alpha protector who swoops in and comforts his woman during times of distress, I would have like to have seen her with a little more grit. But I do kind of have to give her a bit of pass because of her abusive past.

Minor criticisms aside, I thoroughly enjoyed FORCED and highly recommend this book because I thought it ultimately hit all the right notes. And I LOVED the HEA ending. It was real, heartfelt and a wonderful romantic payoff after all this couple suffered through together. Can’t wait for Finn and Skylar’s story next!
Profile Image for Liz Lawson.
729 reviews29 followers
March 9, 2018
Reasons they can’t be together ..... seduction, hot sex ....... reasons they can’t be together, repeat. This book just didn’t work for me. Repetitive dialogue, it became boring and predictable.
Profile Image for Candace.
303 reviews
August 19, 2016
Forced
by Cali MacKay
Review by Candace Fox
5 Candi Kisses and 1 E-Ticket Ride Disney Ride

Not even sure where to start!

So, so tortured. Wren is so tortured by the things that have been done to her in the past, she is having a really hard time thinking anything could be good for her. She has been betrayed by every person in her life at one point or another including Ash.

Ash has virtually made a deal with the devil (the one he knows) and agrees to marry Wren, the only woman he has ever loved in return for his families protection after his father is killed.

Turner (Wren’s Father) agrees to take care of “the problem” as soon as they sign a marriage license. One he demands in order to protect Wren after the evil cancer that is eating him alive takes him. He wants assurance that she will be taken care of and Ash is the only man she has ever loved so blackmail is in the cards.

Unable to fight her father and her feeling, Wren finally just succumbs to her father’s wishes. Although she finds things out a little late which only serve to torture her even more that the past has for the last 8 years.

This story broke my heart, made me ugly cry and I swear to god I could actually feel Wren’s guilt emitting off the page. Even if it is misplaced. I laughed, cried, screamed and was actually numb at one point cause too much feeling was happening and none it the good kind for the most part. Sammy (the shelter dog Ash gets for Wren) sure did do a lot to give this story some feel good emotions in this story after such a turbulent ride.

This Author is so very good at making the feelings come out of you with her stories. She has a way of making you really care about the characters and you just want to jump right into the story and fix all the wrongs. This is a dark romance with lots of angst, sexiness, and a mired of emotions you would not think reading a book could induce. I so totally loved this story and cannot wait for Shattered, the next book in the series.


Profile Image for Bette Hansen.
5,073 reviews40 followers
August 23, 2016
Excellent book!! It's sensual, sexy, exciting, and gripping. Wren and Ash are explosive and he walked away from her once. Can she trust him not to do it again??? Ash knows that one of them is going to be hurt but he has no choice. His family's safety is on the line. He will marry Wren and make her mobster father happy. Wren tries to fight it but her father and her feelings for Ash are too strong. This story is packed with a lot of emotion and will have you turning page after page. I definitely recommend it!
Profile Image for Stephanie.
20 reviews
March 5, 2017
Wished I could have liked it more

I really looked forward to this story. I was really interested to see how the Blackthorn family would start their path to legit business men. The love story didn't connect with me. Rough sex in context with Wren's serious emotional and mental traumas took me out of the story. I skipped the "love" scenes and read on to see if the family got justice for the murder of their father. And why we're there no serious mention of therapy? Nice attempt but just a crash and burn from me.
Profile Image for Shirmela.
124 reviews
October 10, 2017
the plot seems good... but the girl is so confusing... she agrees to get married and then no.. and then yes and then no... and the reason why they have to marry each other is ridiculous...
Profile Image for EroticaAfterDark (Lilith).
2,780 reviews957 followers
Want to read
September 16, 2020
FREE
→ Free for maybe a limited time. Grab your copy now! ←

dark


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Blurb:
My father is dead.
Murdered.
And I’m about to make a deal with the devil to keep my family safe and get the revenge my father deserves.
***
Wren’s the only woman I’ve ever loved, but that doesn’t mean we’re right for each other. Don’t get me wrong… the sex was always crazy hot. That’s never been the problem. But Wren and me? We’re explosive together, all sorts of wrong for each other—and sooner or later, someone’s going to get burned.

I walked away from Wren once, and broke her heart. She’s never going to forgive me or trust me again—but her mob boss father doesn't care. He's forcing me to marry her, and if I want to find out who’s threatening my family, this is my only option. As for Wren—she’s going to be pissed when she sees me, let alone when she finds out we’re getting hitched. Ask me if I care.

The deal is done. One way or another, I'm making her my wife.


Merged review:

FREE
→ Free for maybe a limited time. Grab your copy now! ←

dark


→ Submit or subscribe to The DARK Newsletter! ←

Blurb:
My father is dead.
Murdered.
And I’m about to make a deal with the devil to keep my family safe and get the revenge my father deserves.
***
Wren’s the only woman I’ve ever loved, but that doesn’t mean we’re right for each other. Don’t get me wrong… the sex was always crazy hot. That’s never been the problem. But Wren and me? We’re explosive together, all sorts of wrong for each other—and sooner or later, someone’s going to get burned.

I walked away from Wren once, and broke her heart. She’s never going to forgive me or trust me again—but her mob boss father doesn't care. He's forcing me to marry her, and if I want to find out who’s threatening my family, this is my only option. As for Wren—she’s going to be pissed when she sees me, let alone when she finds out we’re getting hitched. Ask me if I care.

The deal is done. One way or another, I'm making her my wife.
739 reviews1 follower
August 23, 2016
Ash’s father was murdered and he wants the people responsible to pay. He turns to the only one who can find out who did this horrible thing to his family. This man wants something in return and Ash agrees. Turner will make the people pay if Ash will marry his daughter and keep her safe.

The only problem is that Ash left Wren years before and now she hates him. He doesn’t care. No matter what it takes she will marry him. He has to keep those he loves safe.

One way or the other she will be his wife!

This definitely was a different Cali MacKay story. It is a bit dark but there is still a love story in there. There is also evil, pain and secrets. I liked Ash’s character but Wren kept saying the same things over and over and I didn’t like her character as well as I did Ash but Cali did a good job with the plot and then bringing out the secrets and making it all come together in the end. This is a stand-alone read but there is a tiny teaser regarding book two!

I received an ARC for an honest review.

Profile Image for Alicia.
29 reviews2 followers
August 24, 2016
Wren is a party girl. She has a lot of secrets from her past that she is not only trying to keep hidden, but she is trying to forget.
Her true love forces his way back into her life, with the help of her dying father.
She has been given no choice except to marry Ash, and when she has finally accepted it, a secret she knew nothing about surfaces and causes her to run....again.
Ash has no choice but to marry Wren to keep his family safe. He knows she will not be happy, but he knows she still loves him.

Will they be able to overcome the secret Wren is afraid will make Ash hate her?

This does end in an HEA.

While reading there were some areas that I didn't think quite fit, but as you continue reading, you will understand why they were put where they were.

I received an ARC for an honest review.
Profile Image for Denise.
651 reviews19 followers
August 23, 2016
Wow what a great start to a new series Ash makes a deal with Wen's father to marry her and when he shows up to collector her and tell her they are getting married Wen is not having it.. Wen and Ash share a past and Ash left her when she needed him the most .. Sorry no spoliers it's a must read you wont be sorry
Profile Image for vita.
120 reviews10 followers
January 27, 2020
TRIGGER WARNING: Rape, Toxic Relationships, Family abuse, Mental illness (I'm so sorry if there are more triggers that I didn't mention, those are the ones i saw)


DNF.

This felt like a spin-off of another story.
They kept talking about their past together but I didn't see them together back then, so I didn't feel any connection with the couple. I honestly couldn't care less about them or anything in the story.

There was no trigger warning about the main girl's traumatic past. The couple's dinamic is problematic and boring af! The only thing they do is f*ck. And fight until they're horny enough to f*ck again. And the sex scenes were SO bad! I felt kinda sorry for the the author while reading them.

The main girl needs therapy asap! The main guy was the worst and most boring "bad boy" I've ever seen. And I haven't finished the book, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ash's Father's murder had been planned by Wren's father so he could force them into marriage.

Boring, irresponsible and badly written.
Profile Image for Amy Popewiny.
102 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2018
Couldn't put this down!

Ash is just trying to protect his family when he goes to see his ex girlfriend's father for help. Little did he know he would get more than he bargained for. When he asks for help he's told he'll receive it under one condition.. He must marry his ex girlfriend.

Ash finds Wren and he can tell his feelings for her are still alive and well. At first Wren can't forgive Ash for breaking her heart all those years ago, but eventually Ash starts breaking down her walls.

Wren realizes she never stopped loving Ash. When Wren let's her guard down her life becomes way more complicated. Will Ash still love Wren after he finds out what secrets Wren has?

I highly suggest his book to anyone who loves a steamy romance. Forced is written so well you will not be able to put this down! Can't wait to finish this series! On to the next Shattered!
Profile Image for An.
425 reviews1 follower
August 1, 2018
I love most work by Cali MacKay. However, I just did not bond with Wren at all. It’s very clear she was the victim in a tragic and sadistic situation, but she accepted it and wallowed in it as if “it’s just the way it is” was her life’s mantra. Where was her fight and drive to improve her life?

Ash on the other hand was ok. I would have loved more background on his family to fully engage with the changes they were attempting to make.

Turner was also an interesting character. I would have liked to understand more of his motivation for his request. Further, did he know about Steven? He knew about everything else! Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t.

I look forward to reading Finn’s story next.

183 reviews2 followers
August 20, 2020
I feel like I have no clear rating on this book, It was an entertaining read but I never really connected to the characters, this might sound a little heartless but I really didn't care, I felt like I just breezed through the book, I'm also surprised this isn't shelved as erotica because it was well.. very erotic lol
And I didn't find the romance itself to be dark? Like the MC resisted quite a lot and her dialogue was literally like a broken record but it wasn't a dark romance, I do understand tho if it was shelved as dark because of some things that happen in the book

Very conflicting but I'm giving this 3 stars.
Profile Image for April_lf.
102 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2021
DNF

I just wasn’t feeling the chemistry. Forced into marriage but they are past lovers. Read half way through and all that happened was he picked her up and they drove home while he tried to convince her to marry him (even though it was being forced by her dad by some revenge-family protection deal). Oh, and a bunch of sex that is angry but also not. Hinting at a secret in her past that he doesn’t know about. Years ago he dumped her (for the right reasons) and she’s still pissed because it led to this secret. There was just a lot of talking between the characters and then sudden sex. And then talking, and then sex.
I know there was probably going to be a big reveal/twist about who murdered his dad. But I just wasn’t invested enough to go on.
Profile Image for K.O. Newman.
Author 44 books166 followers
December 3, 2018
So Good

So, I don't take the time to review as often as I should, but this book deserves it, and more. I can't express how much this book affected me. Does it deal with some of the darker aspects of sex, yes. Does it border on rape play, some. Do I feel like the darker sex scenes that the main characters play out are in anyway threatening or scary, or that they come from any place but true affection, absolutely not. I recommend this book to anyone one who wants a good suspenseful love story, because Ash and We're tore my heart to pieces, and then slowly fitted it back together.
6 reviews
September 13, 2017
Hot and steamy!

This book was hot and steamy and still had a great storyline to it. It also showed the low confidence one has when you have been through what Wren had happen to her but also the braveness she showed to facing her demons . He did right by not blaming her for things out of her control and just showing her patience and reminding her of her self worth over and over. Great storyline and awesome detailed sex scenes too. I gave this book a 5 star!
Profile Image for Cassie.
137 reviews
July 24, 2018
That story was f-ed up but that’s not why it’s getting two stars.

I’m so tired of reading books that have awesome story lines but feel rushed and incomplete. I mean, everything was there (beginning, middle and end) but this story deserved so much more. It quite literally jumped from one thing to the next without anything to blend together. To top it off, the characters had no depth.

It had so much potential.
Profile Image for Amber.
71 reviews4 followers
June 25, 2019
Over and over and over again

Omg the whole beginning of his book is “I hate u I’m running away, but il Fu%# you. I won’t marry you, I’m running away. Over and over and over again! Repetitive and just made me want to put this book down. It seems like something a beginner writer would do. The sec was good and dirty but these characters got on my nerves with the whining and the indecisiveness.
Profile Image for thehotmesslibrary.
825 reviews21 followers
January 27, 2018
For me, this book was a bit ordinary. The characters had been together previously and now due to circumstances and secrets from the past, they now get back together.
For me, this book just didn't flow too well and instead of trying to solve issues, everything seemed to take place in the bedroom. I also don't know if I really liked the characters or not either.
Profile Image for Pat Bettinger.
239 reviews
January 7, 2019
An okay story but really overdone with the sex. Don't really see the need to take up 5 or 6 pages for a sex scene. There is a story there that is twisted and Ash is a very strong character and Wren is in her own way. I just had a hard time getting through the sex to the story of what was really happening to both of them.
4,389 reviews56 followers
February 19, 2019
2 1/2 stars. There's too much sex without a point. I thought the dialogue could have been better.

Wren and Ash have a real connection, but I think they both need some therapy. Ash does have a patience with her, a show of real concern and dedication but it is no wonder he left when he was younger and he didn't know what was going on.
Profile Image for J Angel.
444 reviews6 followers
March 30, 2019
I felt the story line was rushed and there was plenty of room to flush it out. I enjoyed the plot line, just not enough story to understand the heroine or the hero. There was a few chapters that didn't flow with the previous chapter and I thought I was missing part of the book, it was a kindle so I'm positive that was not the case.
Profile Image for Julia Firlotte.
Author 6 books127 followers
June 1, 2019
Disappointing. Extremely repetitive with the same scenes being constantly repeated. The main character had very little substance, changed her mind at a rate that was annoying and was utterly unbelievable so the reader couldn’t relate.
I liked the main male character, but he was a little dull and it was a shame as he had so much potential.
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