His to Own

His to Own #1

by Autumn Winchester

Stolen in the dead of night, Avidya Ray is blindfolded, silenced, and delivered to a man whose name she doesn’t know—but whose control over her is absolute.

Her father promised she’d be married by nineteen. He never said to whom. He never said it would feel like a sentence.

Now, stripped of everything familiar, Avidya is forced to confront a terrifying truth: she is no longer her own.

Will she bend to the will of the man who claims her, letting him shape her into something unrecognizable? Or will she fight to hold on to the last fragments of herself—before they’re erased forever?

Genres: Romance, Dark, BDSM, Suspense, Dark Romance

428 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 3, 2017

About the author

I’ve always been passionate about storytelling and impressed by the influence it has on people and the decisions they make in life. My novels are something that won't be found anywhere else.
I live in a small town in Colorado. I have 4 kids, 4 dogs, and a cat.
I love to write. I am more than just an author; I'm a storyteller.

Reviews

[⏃ : ✦ villainous_vixen ⏃ : ✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's take a second to look at the cover......Holy hell so sexy!! #COVERLOVE

"You may own me, but I own you just as must"

Oh the feels this book gave me! It was dark, and so very raunchy! Loved every minute of it. Avidya is a young women who was to be married off at the age of nineteen. Born into a world of darkness she believed all will be lost. Until she meets Zachariah, her owner, savior, and protector.

No one is safe.
The people you trust the most are the ones you need to watch out for.
No one can be trusted.

Avidya and Zachariah's relationship was bittersweet. He would do absolutely anything for her, from the very first time he laid eyes on her he knew she was his.

DONT GET ME STARTED ON THE ENDING!!!! I NEED THE NEXT BOOK ASAP!!!


His To Own by Autumn Winchester is my new favorite by her. I really enjoyed it and Zachariah is mine. I claimed him. <3

[Tee Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all of Autumn's Books. I think she is an aspiring Author to follow, her work only gets better. I liked Zachary and Avidya together I think they will be strong together and just make each other stronger. Can't wait to read more!

[Chasidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Zachariah and Avidya’s story is a dark romance full of twists and turns that I never saw coming. Avidya’s life is changed the moment she is kidnapped and her best friend murdered. She is given as a gift to Zachariah. This is my first book by Autumn and I really enjoyed watching the characters and the story develop. I was intrigued from the very beginning. The story is told from dual POV. It does end in a cliff hanger, but it is not a brutal one. I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens between the two.

[Renae Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an amazing read from the start. The characters keep you wanting more and the Author is a brillant writer. Cant wait for the next installment in this series.

[Dawn Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story by Autumn Winchester! Zachariah and Avidya's story begins with her being taken and given Zachariah to pay a debt. At it turns out there is more to her being taken than they both realise. I look forward to more of their story.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good book, I was engrossed in the story from the very beginning! We got to meet Avidya, an extremely sheltered & innocent young woman, with a mysterious past full of secrets, and Zachariah, a strong, dominant man, whose grandfather is the mafia don.

There was no slow build up to the story in this book, page one drops you right into action and drama! You can tell right away that there are alot of secrets and mysteries in this book to be figured out, and she keeps you guessing throughout. I absolutely loved the hero of the story, he was not what you expected him to be like. The heroine was a bit weak for my taste, but you can understand why she is that way, and as the story progresses, you get to see her grow and develop more of a backbone. I loved the family dinner when she met the grandfather for the first time!

This was just a really fun, exciting and surprisingly sweet story! It had some nice sexy scenes in it, but I think we'll see alot more of that in the next book! I can't wait to see where they go from here! I expect we'll get to see much more of Zachariah's dominant side in the next book, it will be fun to see Avidya adjust and flourish in that lifestyle!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

[Simplistic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story and how Zach was willing to wait to claim Avidya since she is young and inexperienced. Avidya has had a hard life and after She is given to Zach in repayment for a debt that wasn't hers but because they had branded her with Zach's mark he was unwilling to let her go as it would be to dangerous for her now. He is a Dom but he knows Avidya doesn't understand what that really means so he sets out to teach her before he marries her so she will be prepared. I see someone is bashing the story but why read something when it plainly tells you what it is, then you read it and bash it for exactly that. As far as any errors I have read Authors who don't even attempt to edit and they don't get bashed as much as this person set out to do. The readers just tell them it could be better. I didn't see anything to complain about here. It feels like this person just has a grudge against the Author for whatever purpose, so she tries to turn people away from reading the story. Ms, Winchester lets her readers know her mafia stories are not traditional. But that is her style. I have found out I enjoy her stories. I look forward to the next book.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Autumn Winchester. I really enjoyed this book. I was pulled in from the beginning. I could not wait to see what happened. This book is well written. The characters are well developed and you feel as if you are there with them. The story captivates you with emotions, action and more. Zachariah and Avidya's story begins with her being kidnapped and given to Zachariah to pay a debt. That is only the beginning. Get this book to find out all of the details of their story. I am voluntarily leaving this review after receiving an advance reader copy of this book.

[beth Farzetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't start this book unless you are prepared for an amazing book. Love, Death, Romance, Compassion, Strength..
Avidya ...... This women has been through it all abuse, kidnapping and death.. Until love or was it inconvenience? Zachariah's so much more then Avidya thought. These two are brought together by misfortune and survive by fate. Autumn did an amazing job with these charters. This book wont be put down once you start. Every quality for a best sellers.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

His To Own has fast moving plot, drama, action, suspense, romance, twist and turns. The emotions are raw and intense. Zechariah and Avidya are great characters. You wanna know what's going on as much as Avidya does. This story pulls you in right from the start and keeps you hooked until the end. Can't wait for the next book.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/14/2020)! 🎁

[Izzie d]

It started off good but then I got bored.

[Ashley Carr, LSoR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book I've read by Ms. Winchester and I was thoroughly impressed by her writing style. The characters were well developed and the plot kept me guessing. Once I started I could not put the book down!!

Avidya is a woman who has been sheltered her entire life. She just drips with innocence. That all comes to a screeching halt when she is kidnapped from a friend's house, her friend is murdered and she is given to Zachariah in payment for a debt. Zachariah is the grandson of a mafia don. He runs a brothel but has a heart of gold. He becomes Avidya's Dom and protector, even protecting her from her own father.

** I voluntarily read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review **

[Megan Hubble-Roney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a copy of 'His To Own' to review honestly.

I have not read anything by Autumn Winchester before this.

I'm a speed reader. I can't help it. A book that is 500+ pages will take me a day. Some days I read 2 and 3 books. I took my 12 days to finish this book; that has never happened before. I feel like there is the opportunity for this to be a really fantastic book, with the use of Alpha and Beta readers who aren't afraid to criticize and question and give suggestions and with a solid editor.

The story line is solid, a great base and interesting, but it falls flat and gets confusing.

The manner in which the characters speak is very stilted. There are ways of making them sound formal and proper without losing the reader.

If the opportunity comes for me to find some down time, I would be interested enough to see what the second book is like. Does the author mature with her writing, and become confident enough to use the talent that I can tell is very much there? Or has the four and five-star reviews hidden the lower reviews that are full of suggestions and encouragement?

I fully believe that with some professional critiquing this could be Five star read.

[The Book Cave (Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book for review.

This is book 1 and I'm looking forward to more and finding out how things turn out for Zachariah and Avidya.

Avidya is a young woman stolen away in the middle of the night from her best friends house and given to Zach as a gift in order to pay of a debt.

Zachariah is a young man who runs a brothel and other various businesses involving mafia ties. When Avidya is given to him to as a gift.

Avidya doesn't realize that in a way Zach has saved her life from a very cruel man who has devious plans for her life.

The more she learns about her life the more she falls in love with Zach and vice versa.

Be sure to check out His To Own as it's a different take on mafia style books.

[Elena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this but... for the love of God, please go back and edit your book. I tried to enjoy the story but was put off by the MULTITUDE of typos. This had real potential but fell short from some plot holes, the grammar errors and typos... I hate leaving bad reviews but I couldn't not address the bad (nonexistent) editing.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

Complete contradiction with this story. It's suppose to be a dark romance however it is a soppy as they come. While it has some dark thinks happen in the story it's boring as hell. Far to slow moving and no angst at all. For me this was just not worth anymore time so I gave up.

[Cloe Michaels Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

His to Own by Autumn Winchester

His to Own is the first book in a new series written by Autumn Winchester. Autumn has set the first book up very clear on what you can expect from this series.
This series is about Avidya Ray whose life growing up was sheltered and totally controlled by her father Cody Ray who is also the Paster of their home town. Avivdya’s life is that controlled she has never decided for herself, she has never even been to a shopping mall to purchase her own clothing. Every decision in her life is made by Cody, to his parishioners he is a good law abiding paster who he and his wife are heavily involved in the community and giving back. What is mentioned is the secret life that Cody leads and mention of his involvement in the Melendez Mafia family. But nothing is clear what that involvement is, I would imagine this will become clear in future books. Cody is a hard man that lives in a world of his own where he believes that a woman and nothing but there to do his bidding, he has very archaic ideas that appears he has gotten them from the 1950’s but he also believes in arranged marriages and is on the search for one such future husband for Avidya. Avidya also finds out that she is not who she really thought she was, but who are her real parents? That is the question that Avidya must learn the answer to
There is action in this book from the very start with Avidya being kidnapped, drugged, blindfolded and present as a gift to a man Avidya does not know. Zachariah Melendez is the next in line in the Melendez Mafia family business. Though is not your typical Mafia prince he has a heart of gold and behind his families back set out to help those with less better their life in one way or another. When he is presented with Avidya as a gift for payment on a debt, branded like cattle with his mark. He knows who she is and that she is now his to keep or kill because he can never let her go.
This series clearly shows Avidya discovering herself as she learns to be a woman on strength and character. There is also a well-developed theme of not only Mafia families but also well researched and devolved settings of BDSM and how Zachariah teaches Avidya about what it means him being a Dom and her being a submissive.

This first book explores the basic first steps any new submissive needs to learn as well as any new relationship weather is being a BDSM or vanilla relationship. These lessons are carefully placed through the first good as not to overwhelm Avidya but also the reader especially a person that has no understanding of what a BDSM relationship means. Everything from what BDSM is and isn’t is explained, what it means to both parties of the relationship. Avidya being both a virgin with no sexual experience in either a BDSM life or Vanilla Zachariah works slowly watching as she learns what she does and does not life.
There are of course some answers given in the first book but is does set the scene for both Avidya and Zachariah to uncover. There is also drama and intrigue as to who is after Avidya and why. The story does end of sort of a cliff hanger with the reader wanting more but there is a surprise at the end that does provide some answers but you do not know who is reading it

[TP · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book "His to own" in the series "His to own" was pretty weird to read.
What bugged me throughout the whole book was that it had actual potential. The basis of a good book was there. But it didn't deliver. The pieces just didn't fit.

It had an interesting idea for a plot at first. But after a while, all that was left was a numbing confusion, irritation, eye rolls and lots of " right, who would react like that?".

And that taste was not only left by the plot but also by the main characters.
The characters lacked authenticity and depth. And foremost real emotions. It does not count to run around like a zombie and just cry once in a while.
The best scene to describe how i felt about the book was when she visited the grave of her supposedly best friend.
I think only a psychopath reacts that way as she did.
Sure everything was addressed once or twice but always in a clinical way and in the end i felt nothing for any of the characters. No connection or emotions towards or even from the heroine. There were no real conflicts. Only questions she didn't ask, potential emotions she couldn't deal with. And a hero who was an unrealistic character.
I wasn't able to empathize nor share the events with the characters.

In short.
The plot started out good and then turned idiotic and unbelievable.
The characters had no real personalities. The character traits were contradictory and had psychopathic tendencies.
The writing style, still after the publishing date, too many grammar and sentence errors. Additionally, for me some parts who would be interesting were skipped. And the descriptions of events, the reaction of the characters were just too distant and lacked bug time.

Still i would have read the next book, but only because of kindle unlimited. But somehow the download from amazon wasn't correct. The second book had the contents of the third book. I checked triple time and downloaded both books twice. Still not working.

I cannot recommend this book.

[TDCbookreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book in the series.

Avidya is taken while she is sleeping over at her best friend's house and witnesses her best friend being murdered. Some of the plot was a little confusing because at one point her father wants to marry her off, then he wants her dead. I loved this book though, I finished it in a few hours and you really end up loving the relationship between Avidya and Zach.

Avidya, really needs to find herself and she really doesn't in this book. I loved reading about her birth mother and finding out more about her. I really dislike how she is with the mother that raised her at the end.

Zach is great and his family is refreshing for Avidya! I really would of liked how her life was before Zach because you don't really get much of that from the beginning.

You all are going to love this book!

Book Blurb:
Taken in the dead of night, Avidya Ray has no idea what to expect when she’d been blindfolded and given to a man that holds her life in his hands.

He will claim her, own her, no matter if she fights against his desire or not.

She is no stranger to the way life works, or so she thought. Growing up, Avidya knew what to expect.

Her father was clear that she’d be married off by the age of nineteen, but now, everything she once knew is no longer.

Herself included.

[Hanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

His to Own for me is somewhere between a 3 1/2 and 4 star.
Avidya is an eighteen year old sheltered girl.
Her parents are extremely strict and standoffish with her.
When night while sleeping over at a friend's house she gets kidnapped and given as a dept payoff to a powerful man in the Mafia.
Avidya also has a mystery surrounding her. She never felt like she fit into her family which only consists of her parents. They never have any contact with any other family members.
Zachariah Melendez is high up in the Mafia.
He's had his eye on Avidya for years.
Due to Zachariah's infatuation with Avidya and her parents lack of affection for her she starts to have feeling fir him.
Bit by bit some of Avidya's mystery background starts to be revealed.
I thought the writing was kind of choppy and just didn't fit right in certain places.
Example Avidya has just been kidnapped,found out her bf has been murdered and "gifted" to a mafia boss and the first conversation between her a Zachariah out of the blue he tells her he's a dominant,what is that?
I would think a sentence like that needed a setting where they are taking about or are in a physical relationship not the minute she opens her eyes after being in the frightening situation she found herself in.
His To Own does ends in a cliffhanger
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy

[Riet De Bruin-Strijker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was mesmerized by this book. I had some moments that I wanted to stop reading, but then another small secret was revealed and I was compelled to read further and further and before I knew it I had finished the book. I want to read more! I want to know what happens to Avidya and Zach. I want to sing praise to the author, Autumn Winchester, for making this such a compelling book! There is a lot going on and on the other hand it’s a way to the self-discovery of Avidya, her childhood and her heritage.
What it’s all about: Avidya Ray is kidnapped in the dead of night while staying with her friend. She is blindfolded and after a few days of unknown terror she is given to a man that holds her life in his hands. He will claim her, own her and it doesn’t matter is she fights against his desire or not. She isn’t a stranger to the way life works, because she knew what to expect growing up. Her father was clear that she’d be married off by the age of nineteen, but no, everything she once knew is no longer. She doesn’t know herself any more. Can she survive what is to become of her without falling in love with the man who claimed her?

[KittyGrimm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts when young Avidya gets kidnapped while she is visiting her friend. While going through of being afraid what would happen to her she is taken as a payment to Zachariah, someone who would hopefully be her salvation.

Everything from character design to plot were executed perfectly. It was interesting to read how everything started to unveil from each of the characters to their relationships to each other. The author kept me guessing what would happen next and I was happily surprised to see that not everything was what it would seem. She kept teasing us with the sexual tension between Avidya and Zach which started to feel steaming over to everywhere.

His to own is something that Fifty shades of grey should have been! The BDSM aspect of the story was well written, making me hope that this is what FSOG should have been, everything was written and explained so well.

I recommend this book to everyone who like to read steamy books with actually good plot. It will make you purr like a kitten.

I will give this book five out of five Cupcakes.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much inference,too little actual storyline

We really have no clue as to what the mystery of the heroine's parentage really means nor do we really care. The storyline lacks suspense and romance and has little sexual intrigue either. We don't get a sense of who the characters are nor is their relationship believable. Zach is a Dom and a mafioso but we see limited evidence of either. The fact that she is a captive and had been kidnapped becomes almost an afterthought,although it is explained. .A sense of confusion exists but the reader is never really drawn in enough to care and the story ends and cliffs and a strange point with very little resolution. Only an odd Journal entry from the birth Mom as epilogue .Am not sure I will continue on. Have read another series that also had a strange tone to the writing but enjoyed that one a bit more.

[Honey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible, poorly executed. Story was very blah. Avidya, which means ignorance was abducted for a debt. Best and only friend murdered but has no real emotions about it . She is given to some mob guy. Through the whole story she comes off with zero real emotions and no personality. While abducted she gets branded with the mob guys brand but acts like it's no big deal. Personally I would be flipping out. Trying to get it off but she literally doesn't care. Zach, the mob guy, keeps saying he's a dominant but has almost no real dom traits. It's annoying how often it's brought up. The book left me feeling blah. There is no real substance to the characters. If I could give zero stars I would it was that bad.

[Angelique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!

Let me start off by saying that when I started the book it went a little slow.

As always, even with the blurp, one never knows if it's going to end up being good.

But the more I read, the better it got!

I love unusual and uncommon names and that definitely worked for me!

The storyline and characters were thoroughly thought through and I was a little sad when it ended.

Definitely worth a recommend!

[Keesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating and spellbinding

This book grabbed
You from the very beginning. When you thought the story was going right it went left. If you thought
It was going down it went up. There was no way to predict where this story was going. This couple fell in a sweet love. I'm am hanging at the edge of my
Seat just to see what is coming next!!

[Mona williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was amazing! you wrote another awesome book! cant wait to read the rest of this series. its about a young woman who is kidnapped one night . taken to god knows where. shes handed off to another guy. this guy is really bad. will he hurt her or worse? read to find out what happens. thanks quill& ink.

[Natalie Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really was not for me. It just didn't engross me the way other books have and so i did find it hard to finish. This isn't to say I would not read another book from Autumn again only that this one could not hold my attention. The story does have great potential and I am only one reader so I do suggest you read it yourself.

[Book-Lovin-Momma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this first book and I want more! Avidya is taken and is being used to pay a debt, but so much mystery surrounds her and her dark, unfortunate circumstances. I would love to see more information revealed which I'm sure the next book will reveal but the ending was a little too fast and abrupt.