Vandal

Ashes & Embers #2

by Carian Cole

She takes my breath away.

She’s so beautifully damaged.
A mirror of my own tortured soul.

I was powerless to stay away from her.

I was responsible for all the pain and grief that brought her to her knees in front of me.

Broken. Hopeless. Reckless in her agony.

But what I took away I can give back…in ways she cannot even begin to imagine.
Ways that I can’t stop thinking about.

Together we spun a tangled web of lust and need. Power and submission. And dare I say... trust and love.

We’re everything right in all our wrongs.

We found redemption. We found happiness. A chance for a new beginning.

but... she has no idea I’m the one who destroyed her life.


** Vandal is a dark romance with light BDSM. This book deals with death, grief, deception, substance abuse, depression, and graphic sex. If this is not your thing, you can skip this book and move onto the next in the series and you will not be lost or miss anything in the series. Can be read stand-alone as well. **

Genres: Romance, BDSM, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Dark

312 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2015

About the author

I have a passion for the bad boys, those covered in tattoos, sexy smirks, ripped jeans, fast cars, motorcycles and of course, the sweet girls that try to tame them and win their hearts.

Born and raised a Jersey girl, I now reside in beautiful New Hampshire with my husband and our multitude of furry pets and spend most of my time writing, reading, and vacuuming.

Reviews

[Phuong ✯ · Rating 1 out of 5]

– 1 star

For some reason Goodreads couldn't handle all the hate I have for this book and they decided to delete my review or maybe it got flagged for hate speech, since I detest this fictional human waste with every fiber of my being, but here we are again. 🖤

Tabitha [grieving widow]: *crying at the cemetery*
Vandal [stalker]: Hey, do you want to go somewhere?
Tabitha [dead inside]: Yeah, why not.
Vandel: *brings her to his house in the middle of nowhere*
Tabitha: I HATE the guy who caused the accident. How is it fair that he lives, but my husband had to die? I can't live like this anymore, I just want to die.
Vandel [the guy who caused the accident also known as the dumbest bitch on earth]: I can 🤡 HeAL 🤡 you. You only need to 🙃 tRusT 🙃 me.
Tabitha: How?
Vandal: SUBMISSION! BDSM! KNEEL! SUCK MY COCK! YOU SHOWER ONLY WHEN I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SHOWER!



I can't remember the last time I hated a Hero that much, but Vandal definitely makes the Top 10 of my most hated Heroes list. I should feel some kind of compassion for him since he lost his daughter in the same accident when Tabitha's husband died, but I cannot. Being in his head is giving me a brain tumor that killed every empathy cell for people named Vandal in this book. Is this guy even grieving the lost of his little daughter? It sure as hell doesn't seem like it, cause all he thinks of is sticking his dick in the wife of the guy he recently killed. Weird way to grieve, but what do I know, you do you, Vantrash. 🙏

Here are some of my live reactions every time I turned a page and saw Vangarbage do the bare minimum:

Vandal: *breathes*
Me: Why do you disrespect the dead so much?

Vandal: *eats*
Me: You do know that children in third world countries are starving right? RIGHT?



The wrong people died in that accident, just saying. I'd given this book 5 stars, if Vanscum had died or been abducted by aliens, but nothing of that sort happened so 1 star is it. 😔

┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑
ASHES & EMBERS SERIES

#1 Storm – 2 stars
#2 Vandal – 1 star
#3 Lukas – 3 stars
#4 Talon – tbr
#5 Loving Storm – tbr
#6 Asher – tbr
┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

“Submission is strong and only strengthens with time. Love leaves people weak and devastated, as she is now. Submission heals and awakens. Submission is love on fucking steroids.”

Vandal is a romance, but it’s also a story of loss, grief, and a seriously emotional (and a little twisted) tale.

After reading the first book in the Ashes & Embers series, I was anxious to get to Vandal’s book. I knew he was broken and completely destroyed and I wanted to see him heal and piece back together. It was a long road for him. Loss is a hard thing. In fact, I believe it is the most painful thing in the world. There are a lot of different kinds of loss, and the one Vandal endures is unthinkable.

Tabitha has also experienced a great loss. They are on the same page in a lot of ways. These two are both grieving, but find comfort in each other. They make it a little easier to survive the loss. But there are secrets between them. They’re both hiding something big. I’ve gotta say, that twist at the end shook me a bit. I wasn’t expecting it. And I love reading the unexpected!

Carian Cole is such a strong writer. Her words are beautiful. She is quickly becoming a new favorite of mine. This story gave me all the feels. It was emotional, steamy, and a story of healing and love. I can’t wait to read more in this series.

He is mine, and I am his. I am his heart. He is my armor.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is disturbing.

She is stupid as fuck and I don’t say it because of the BDSM shit, but how her feeling for him started and her inner monologue are so fucking lame. There were times he treated her badly and she just took it.

He was pretty messed up, I hate the fact that he was fucking a total random when his daughter was spending the weekend with him. He only had his daughter every other Saturday so why the fuck couldn’t he keep it on his pants during the time his 5 years old girl was staying with him.

Also, reading his brother Lukas book we found out he got another girl pregnant when they were drunk and fucking even though he had a drinking problem apparently on control for two years since he decided to be better so he could be with his daughter. Well, even after supposedly getting better to be with his daughter he is still getting drunk and fucking around without much care about protection because the condom broke but they didn’t care about it. **** big spoiler: he doesn’t get to know about this baby because the baby is born after his daughter dies and he is too fucked up so the baby’s momma is actually afraid of his reaction and doesn’t want to be a mother so opted to give it to adoption so Lukas adopted the baby
Want to know something nice about the hero? He fucked that woman before his brother had a fling with her, but Lukas knew that and because he couldn’t deal with it he broke things up this girls. Later we found out that knowing Lukas was with her he was still fucking her and when his brother broke up with her he continued to fuck her. Cheater and has no loyalty even knowing his brother cares about him
** he fucked everyone so it was hard for Lukas to found a girl he hadn’t been with and he didn’t give a shit about her and she was Lukas friend before, so Lukas didn’t betrayal him by being with her bc he never cared about her and they fucked without any exclusivity or feelings. He betrayed Lukas because he knew they were together but kept fucking her behind his brother back

I found it ridiculous that he was actually nicer talking to Sydn (another women he fucked) than basically with everyone else. Hate it

He is super jealous because the heroine talked to a friend on Facebook that he once fucked when she was on high school but he went to see Sydn. He took heroine to a concert when he had fucked every woman on the band.

He is faithful after meeting the h, but still stings that he was a total whore while she only slept with three man, her husband, her Facebook friend (only one time) and the hero UGH of course there is a mention about how in one night or week I don’t remember she had more orgasms than she has on one years with her husband. We know she loves the sex with him no need to tell us her sex live wasn’t that good when the whore was having kinky sex with many many many women before
Double standards

I loathed the way he talked about his daughter’s mother because it seems she was not the greatest mother but at least she was there for the first three years of their baby’s life while he was busy drinking and doing drugs. Also, he complains about her taking him to court so he wouldn’t be with his baby but honey you are a mess why the fuck do you think it was okay to be around your daughter without proving you got your shit together?? And you know what? He shouldn’t be able to be with the kid at all. If it wasn’t for him the child would be alive!!!! Because he choose to fuck someone while he was responsible for his daughter and should have take her home to her mother sooner be he didn’t so he was tired when the mom called because he didn’t took the girl when he was supposed to. He is mad because the child is already sleeping and the mother shouldn’t demand him to bring him home this late. Is this fucker kidding me?? She is right to demand you to bring the kid home you motherfucker, instead of doing it sooner you are not even taking care of her, you are into some bdsm shit without caring about the girl needing something at night while you are at it or even hearing you nasty ass. Her mother was right, he is not fit to take care of a kid. Later he put the kid in the car with the stranger woman, how irresponsible to expose a child to random people you fuck. He felt sleep while driving and the kid died!

He talks about the women he used to fuck being trashy and superficial but let me tell you something you sexist whore, you are as bad as the women you fuck!!!!! Actually, you are worse because you talked shit after you fucked them, how dare you judge them you asshole. I’m fucking sick of this bullshit that women interest in a meaningless sex with a famous person are whores but the men who enjoys fucking those girls without any consideration toward them other than having a no strings sex with a willing woman are just poor broken souls. Fuck that shit, they are both using each other, one is no better than the otter

[Sophie's Reading Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

**4.5 Get Vandalized stars**




This is a story of loss, grief and love. Vandal and Tabi have something in common. They both lost someone dearest to them. But that incident brought them together. Will they be able to fix each other and heal or will the wounds get deeper when secrets are going to get revealed?

"The ties that bind us each to one another may not always be visible, but they’re there like thin, transparent veins. I don’t know why, but this is one vein I don’t want to slit."

Vandal had me in between two emotions throughout my reading experience. One of them was pain. This book has an incredible, heart-breaking story that will make you need tissues. You will feel a deep sorrow for Vandal's character, you will be in pain for his loss and when you'll get to know what he's been through, past and present. It won't be easy, but it will be beautiful.

"He is mine, and I am his.
I am his heart. He is my armor."

The other emotion that went through me was this.



This book had some really hot sex-scenes. It will have you swooning over Vandal, especially if you love reading about dominant, long haired, tatted rockstars who love BDSM. If you're into this kind of books, then you can go for it.



I enjoyed the writing once again and I loved the twist in the last chapter of the book. I always love it when I end up getting surprised. I admit that I was suspicious of something, but I'm glad to say that it wasn't what I expected, so thumbs up for surprising and confusing me at the same time.

Vandal is the second part of the Ashes & Embers series, but can be read as a stand alone as well. Totally recommended.

[chan ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

oof. i didn't like this

i listened to this 100% on audiobook but i feel like i paid more attention to this one than i did with the last. so i could rate. the only thing that keeps me hesitant is that the audiobook was recorded pre re-edit for this book. so maybe the new version is 100% amazing and i'm missing out.

but as it was, this was a BDSM story about a guy whose daughter died in a car crash (he was driving) and a woman whose husband died (yep, other car in the accident). dude sees lady at the grave site and they enter into a sex only relationship. it's supposed to heal them both or whatever.

but i found it unconvincing. first, because the woman was not aware that the dude was the driver of the other car. i don't care if you're a saint, that's kind of a hard thing to look past. not to mention the lying. and then the relationship started so strangely. he took her FROM THE GRAVE SITE to this home and they immediately had sex and within a couple days entered a dom/sub relationship. not realistic.

the ending was also shitty. usually carian cole does a good job giving her female characters agency and they tend to have a period of time to come to terms with their feelings near the end of her books. and that was true of this one... but after that there was no renewal of commitment by either party. they decided to continue their sex only relationship.... even though they both love and want children and a more "traditional" lifestyle. (not that BDSM precludes you from having a family, these 2 just said they weren't gonna do that stuff).

it was just not an ideal romance for me. not poorly written, it just didn't have much heart. thank u, next.

[Laura Lovely · Rating 2 out of 5]

the ending???? uhhhh sorry but *spoilers* the fact she actually knew it was him the whole time completely ruined the book for me .. anyways

[Mariℓina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 Stars!
Ok, it has something to do with Carian Cole's writing, there's no other way to explain it. She writes something, i read it and no matter what, even when i 'm not totally in love with the characters or absolutely sure about their actions, in the end i'm entirely consumed by the story and a happy reader.


Vandal is greedier than Storm, darker too. But also very enticing and beautiful on its own way. Yes, the beginning is heartbreaking and left me in total despair wondering if i can root for a hero to find love, so early after such a tragedy. But that's the point. If Storm was about overcoming the past and embracing the future, Vandal's main theme is how to put your self back together after a devastation and open up your heart to love again.


Vandal, the character, is the prime narrator in this story. I had a weird relationship with him for the entire book, although i sympathized with him and felt his pain as my own, there were moments he was such an ass, i wanted to hit him with a weirdly shaped bat. Tabitha, on the other hand was distant and elusive for the first half of the book, later though i ended up liking her a lot!


The 50% mark was a big turning point. The first half was somewhat disjoint and to a certain degree felt hasty, but the other half, was when the plot started to work much better and the characters became 3 dimensional, i also felt that they started to earn their happiness and a good ending. Towards the end i wanted precisely something, and as if the author was inside my head, she did it! She gave me the exact twist i was craving for!


The storyline in few words starts when a terrible accident leaves both Tabi and Vandal barren from the people they loved the most. With such a ruinous connection to each other, they will end up in a relationship neither ever imagined. Together they will test their limits and find what they need the most, Love!
On a special note, this book has an amazing third hero, Sterling the blind cat. Inspired by a real cat
living in the Blind Cat Rescue shelter (www.blindcatrescue.com) and a portion of the sales will be donated to his care.




THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

- Consuming and devastating, this book is filled with emotions.
- The Get Vandalized t-shirts were hilarious.
- Evie, makes a notable appearance, helping Vandal. I always loved that girl!
- I appreciated highly the distance Tabi put between them in the end. It was the right thing to do and perfectly realistic.
- Sterling stole my heart right away!
- I couldn't grasp their connection at firstl, It was difficult for me to feel their chemistry.
- Katie! OMG!
- The cover is amazing.
- Dual POV, but mostly told by Vandal and there is a reason for that.
- Tabitha's memories from the accident are heartwrenching!
- The texts he send her were so cute! Their randomness made them even better.
- Asher's actions in the end were a big surprise.


ARC provided by the author, in exchange of an honest review. Thank you so much!

[Shanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gah! I really enjoyed book 1 but I can’t do this. I read 50% had to skim to the end to just see how it finished.

SPOILERS AHEAD………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………






It started off okay and I thought it was going to be a great story about a broken hero finding love but it went downhill fast. Vandal is the driver in an accident that kills his 5 year old daughter and a friend. Tabitha is grieving the loss of her husband who was the victim in the other car. Vandal starts stalking Tabi and after approaching her at the cemetery he asks her to go for a ride. He takes her home, fucks her, asks her to stay, and they start a D/s relationship. WHAT!?! And yes you guessed it, the whole time she isn’t aware that he was the driver of the car that killed her husband. Oy!! The D/s stuff was bad and if you like to read this topic there is better stuff out there to read. The way they hooked up was so wrong and far-fetched I couldn’t invest in them at all. I just couldn’t get past not liking either character so it ruined the story for me. This could have been great and as I said I liked book 1 but this was a major miss. I hope I enjoy Lukas’s book more.

[Sleepless Readmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

[van-dl]
a person who willfully or ignorantly
destroys or mars something beautiful or valuable.
4 VANDALIZING STARS

Tabitha and Vandal ♥

Yesterday I wanted to die,
but today I just want to kill the girl
I used to be and meet the girl I could be .."

"I'm sorry ... I cry a lot lately."
"Don't apologize. Even the sky cries."

I know if I'm haunting you
You must be haunting me ..►♫

"What are you doing to me?"
"Everything."

I'm pinned to the doorway
Kiss, bite, foreplay ..►♫

But you ... you became the moon
and stars in my dark nights. Your love is like
a fire that seeps into my soul .."

You are my heart. I am your armour.

Not my glass of wine. With that being stated, I enjoyed this novel .. I did. The words were written wonderfully, the characters were damaged yet developed, and the plot was raw and captivating. So why? Well .. lets just say Vandal never grew on me. Which is very rare .. on the off chance I'd begin to towards the end .. but in this one .. nope. It's fine though .. who needs a book boyfriend when I've got a perfectly good book girlfriend. I really liked Tabi, she was incredibly sweet and opened her mind to other possibilities. She is quite forgiving .. maybe TOO forgiving. Nevertheless, it was good read and I'm looking forward to Lucas .. definitely Pinot Grigio.

Vandal Carian Cole
- Sleepless, Readmore. Twitter

[D.L. Howe · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, just let me say that I love the premise. For two people to find beauty interwoven with the harshest grief. Sounds amazing!

Also, a big thank you to Jessi (@booksandbourbon) for recommending the audio narrator Joe Arden. He’s fantastic, definitely in my top three male narrators.

But then, and I can’t believe I’m saying this about a Carian Cole book but the sex was too fast. Where’s the pent up angst?

Because it happened so fast, Vandal came off as taking advantage of a grieving widow. He also came off as a douche, which is why I don’t read rock star romance. They all think they’re God’s gift to the female race.

I have high hopes that my mind will be changed and I think it will …

Is he insane? Maybe he’ll just keep her isolated with only a few people to interact with? Are you sure you’re looking for a submissive and not an unwilling captive?

I’m a fan of BDSM but he did so much that rubbed me the wrong way. I totally didn’t blame Tabitha for resisting or being bratty, but I did lose my respect for her giving into his demands or later construing it in her mind that it was fine or that it made sense. Being submissive doesn’t equate to being a doormat!

Just because the saying goes; in order to get over someone, you should get under someone new. That doesn’t mean you desecrate your husband’s memory by fucking trash while he’s still warm in his grave.

Honestly, Vandal is one of the most repugnant characters I’ve had the displeasure of reading. And I’ve read some very questionable characters that had no conscience or ignored every moral society has ingrained in them. He’s selfish, egotistical and a horrible Dom.

The reason I gave this a three is because I loved to hate it and it kept my attention. I’ll even grudgingly admit there were minuscule moments I found Vandal alright.

Am I the only one that celebrated when the shit hit the fan? No? Just me? First book that I hoped didn’t end with a HEA.

[TF · Rating 4 out of 5]

4Audio Version

I'm increasing my rating after listening to the audio book of Vandal. The narrators, Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell do an amazing job bringing to life the heartbreaking circumstance that brought Vandal and Tabitha together.
3.75

My favorites are the tortured broken bad boys.
Yeah, I’m going to jump on the band wagon and say I want a “Get Vandalized” t shirt too!
Nice ending :->. Did not expect it.

[Sophie "Beware Of The Reader" · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars.
I’d just finished a very dark and powerful series and wanted something lighter. This book was not really lighter stuff but it won me over from the very beginning.



I loved the characters. I was impressed by the author’s talent as she wrote about a heavy topic, grief with such accuracy and avoided any pathos. She strung heavy, gut wrenching scenes together with erotic BDSM but also cute as a pie life moments. Everything flowed effortlessly and I was captivated with this intense read.
Honestly, it was a very good surprise. I had teary eyes then a goofy smile just to need a cold shower some minutes later.

This is the second book in the Ash & Ember series and our main character is the enigmatic and distant Vandal.
We learn right from the start how Vandal had an accident, killing his daughter and the other car’s driver. Abandoned by his father when he was very young he had a very difficult childhood and learned to cope with drugs, alcohol and sex. He’s been clean for his daughter but now he is riddled with guilt and is simply drowning.
”I know I did. I killed my friend, too, and I killed my daughter. The most precious thing to ever be in my life. I live with that every day. I can barely look at myself.”

He turns his back to his family and friends, ever the loner, falling in a dark, dark pit of despair. Only Evie barrels through his door to take care of his house, gifting him with an incredible little friend: a blind cat. I���m a sucker for animals and let me just tell you Carian had me in a puddle with this adorable kitten. That’s true that our furry friends help us overcome depression and difficulties. It was simply a melting sight this big, hot, tatted man holding that small tortured cat in his huge hands wanting to protect him. That’s maybe 100% cliché but how could any hot blooded woman resist this? You tell me.

Hell bent on self-destruction path Vandal will meet Tabitha, devastated by her husband’s death. He was the other car’s driver. The one Vandal killed…

Fascinated with the woman, jealous of the love she gave to her late husband and responsible for her pain Vandal wants to help Tabitha to feel and live again.
Tabi loves angels, cookies, photography. She’s the sweet next door girl. Vandal is…complicated. He has a dark side, always attracted to the forbidden.
« I like doing what I’m not supposed to be doing, and I especially like doing things I’m not supposed to do to Tabi. …Being bad can be very, very good.”

I won’t develop the plot further let’s just say their relationship was unconventional, twisted and beautiful. Deeper than what Vandal planned.
”Do I want to be like Storm? Having a girl with me all the time? Holding my hand and being all smiley and cutesy and disappearing in dark corners together? No. I want the evil twin version of that. I want a live-in sub who gives herself to me whenever I want or need her. I want her to only want me, only need me, and be bound to me forever. I want her to trust me without question or hesitation, and accept me no matter what.”

I also got a BIG surprise by the end, something I never saw coming and I love when authors surprise me like that!

If you love twisted hot heroes suffering from abandonment issues and BDSM adepts, if you love delicate and touching heroines with some tricks in their bags, you’ll love Vandal.

Now Carian, I’ve got a very important question for you: do you have any spare “Get Vandalized” T-shirt left? I bet I would look awesome in it ;-)

[Floripiquita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Con un punto de partida muy duro, esta historia centrada en cómo una gran pérdida cambia nuestra vida para siempre, tanto para bien como para mal, podría ser mucho mejor de lo que al final es. Sobre todo porque, a pesar de leerse bien y fácil, me ha resultado muy poco creíble. Todo pasa demasiado rápido -del instalust al instalove hay un suspiro- y la práctica del BDSM por parte del prota es todo un cliché.

[Nana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Por alguna razón Vandal me llamaba mucho la atención así que me puse inmediatamente a leer su historia, pero me decepciono muchismo. La historia comienza de una manera muy trágica donde Vandal pierda a su hija y su acompañante en un accidente de automóvil y pues el si el sobrevive, y el se ahoga en su dolor, sentí pena y tristeza por el, porque eso que le sucedió fue horrible, pero aquí viene mi pero y es que no me gusto la relacion amorosa con Tabi, a quien también sufrió en el accidente donde perdió a su esposo y el responsable fue Vandal, bueno aunque fue un accidente no provocado el tuvo gran parte de la culpa porque como se le ocurre manejar sin haber dormido en muchas horas y por la noche, el caso es que el empieza a acechar a la mujer por sus redes sociales y luego la busca, eso no me parecio bien, y lo peor fue que empiezan una relación deshonesta y toxica porque Vandal no le confiesa que el era el otro conductor en el accidente, se basa en las mentiras no creo su amor, es cierto que son dos personas muy rotas que acaban de perder a quien mas amaban pero me hubiera gustado que pasaran mas tiempo superando su dolor cada quien por su parte y ya después se rencontraran cuando estuvieran mejor, pero claro eso no paso por que una historia en donde toda pasa muy deprisa, y si se ayudaron a su manera pero la forma en que empezó todo simplemente me disgusto mucho.

[~*~Princess Nya Vasiliev~*~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Very Mild Spoilers*

Okay.. first I must get out of the way why up until I read the last chapter, this book would have been a 5 star read for me.

That last chapter/reveal concerning Tabitha completely underminded the person we as the reader, got to know & maybe even care about/sympathize with, over the course of the book.

Now, her mentioning little things/hints before the reveal, did have me wondering exactly what her secret was. But because it did not come out along side Vandal's "demons", this made her seem very cruel. Heartless even. Kinda like she didn't even have the right to put him through his sweating it out period because she already knew the deal from the get go. So what was the point of the waiting period? And the fact that though Vandal's wrongs were brought to light, but not her own, didn't seem right or balanced with this story either.

Like I said, I would have been able to accept this had these things come out in the wash along side everything else, Especially after she learned of the circumstances surrounding Vandal's role in their nightmare. But not this coming up as a sneaky after thought. And not coming clean to him about it.

This was me after reading that last chapter..


BUT all the other events & execution of this story was definitely on point for me. I was scared, skeptical even, about reading Vandal's story. But I must say I'm so happy that I did. It was a heartbreaking, scary, erotic, heartwarming journey that he took me on. I'm glad I hopped on the crazy train with him. And I'm so happy to see that the man he once was, eventually met the man he became, through his journey of truth & self redemption. He made me proud to say I love Vandal...

But he will never EVER remove Lukas from the #1 spot in my heart. LOL!

So yes, thus far based on books 1-3, I would recommend this series.

Happy Reading :)

[Naksed · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I realized this would be a story about a guy who got into a car accident that killed his five year-old daughter, his side-piece, and the driver of the other vehicle, and that he was going to go after the wife of the other, deceased, driver, I just knew this was NOT going to be for me. Quick DNF.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a roller coaster ride of emotion, this book will get you right from the first 2 chapters, and not let you go to the end, which your going to want to finish cos there is a shocking twist in the epilogue absoulty love this book so good.

[Andrea Fleury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very hard to read. I loved his character even though he was very dark and confusing. I cried right with him when she died and loved him even more he felt alive. The sexual tension was hot and steamy. I adore this author.

[Shabby -BookBistroBlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total Vandal-isation of the senses! A glimpse into the aftermath of ruined existences much like a bombed out city where people are dead and the living are struggling.
"Life is a series of mistakes, regrets, bad decisions, tragedies, and occasional good luck"



My heart was crying for this broken damaged man. Having had a glimpse of him in Storm, I was super intrigued by his back story. Boy! Carian doesn't believe in pulling any punches at all. A huge fist right in the solar plexus in the first chapter itself, hoof!! And I doubled over
It's a horrendous event that changes the life of Vandal Valentine. He's a tattooed bassist who likes rough sex, fast cars, loud bikes, pain, music, ink, and little blondes on their knees



It starts of with a bitchy ex throwing a tantrum and him reluctantly trying to do what's best....
An hour later the world turns upside down and he is devastated. Before the night is over, two lives will forever change. The ripple effect grows larger and in the ensuing days EVERYBODY associated with him feels it's effect.
"Grief is an ugly monster that will eat you alive"



They All lose him in one way or another. Broken hearted, he turns to the only place his heart finds a tearful respite. But there's somebody else more grief stricken than him there and she's sobbing!!
Tabitha Bennett is a sweet girl full of life. She likes soft music, reading, art, angels, nature, photography and her small life
She doesn't know it yet but her tormentor who victimized her has come to rescue her. But paths to closure need total annihilation before rebuilding starts



"She thinks life betrayed her, but it's actually just the work of some asshole who made a bad decision that in turn destroyed her life"
This is the story of vandal-isation of hearts, lives, souls and inhibitions. The power of grief is often not fully grasped till a person has lived through it. Victims turn to self harm physically and emotionally and the after effects can ruin their friends, families and loved ones just by association
It strikes a chord somewhere deep in my heart and I was teary eyed at many places.
Beautifully written, sensitive & brutal at the same time. There's beautiful love, burning desire and utmost care on one page and the next page is full of pain, confusion and regret.
This book will scrape you raw till you feel their pain and agony.



"They say a relationship can't last if it's built on lies, but I refuse to believe that. Maybe the truth doesn't always matter, and protecting someone from heartache is more important"
Something in the last chapter confounded me. there's a Lie left unfolded. It stays hidden deep under the layers and wrinkles left deliberately by carian. Maybe she'll come to it later or maybe it's to remind us about the complexities of little white lies. Better let the sleeping dogs lie...... No point in digging up old skeletons.
5 stars for master who belled the Tabicat
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[Nγx ❦ {CLOSED ACCOUNT} · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know i never, ever not in a billion years 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 thought that a character could enrage the reading soul out of me like those of Still Beating. But apparently 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐖𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆. 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄. 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄. 𝐖𝐄. 𝐅#𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝐀𝐑𝐄. 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍. My night just went to Shitopia, but took a pit stop in Fucktopia.

⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
Now fair warning there will be no eloquent words in this review about the plot of this book or anything else. What you will find here are only my 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞����𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
I honestly don't know if i should cry, scream or simply walk out of my room to go to that cliff i did not jump from last time, and silently wait for a black hole to take me out of this world. 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄!!! 𝐈 𝐀𝐌 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔.

⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
I don't know what cosmic karma sh*t is being dumped on me 𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐘??? 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐈'𝐌 𝐀 𝐅#𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓. But lately I've been cursed to read one great book only to have a spectacularly horrendous one thrown in my face after. God help you, if i ever find the miserable c*nt who put that voodoo crap on me.

⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
I cannot express myself enough to even attempt to explain to you how much i abhorred these two waste of breath. That blurb is a fu#king joke, this wasn't about lust and need or Power and submission and it certainly was not about trust and love. This was just a giant ulcer full of misery and regret.
Tabatha was a 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐁*𝐭𝐜𝐡 and Vandal was 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐀 𝐃𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 floating away in the aftermath of a tornado, storm, hurricane and every other freakin' natural disaster to plague this earth.

⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
I'm not even exaggerating when i say these two robbed me from any compassion, empathy or kindness i could have felt for them with the audacity of being alive. Why didn't we get to read about their deaths? Now that is something i would have immensely enjoyed and been delighted in reading.
Look i know what you gonna say, But Nyx they are two broken souls, oh cry me a fu#king river. 𝐈𝐟 𝐢 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐢 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧, 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰..
And as if those painful chapters weren't enough Tabatha had the fu#king nerve to end this tragedy by throwing that miserable shitty reveal in my face. 𝐅#𝐂𝐊 𝐎𝐅𝐅.

[TJ ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I'm sorry ... I cry a lot lately."
"Don't apologize. Even the sky cries."



Vandal was like if Darth Vader was into bdsm. Sometimes I'd be reading this like aw they kinda cute, they getting their shit together, and then the thought would pop in my head that he killed her husband and now has tricked her into being his sex slave



and I'd be like oh no. oh jeez.



Didn't love the ending twist tho. Felt unnecessary.

[Kitty Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Most F'd up set-up ever.

[Alp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dived right into the book without any idea what the plot was going to be. I didn't expect the story to be so raw, so torturous, and so heart wrenching. It was really different from 'Storm', yet it was my thoroughly engaging read. The BDSM scenes were well written, they helped explain a lot why this Dom/Sub was so important to the hero and heroine.

Both Vandal and Tabitha were two wrecked souls who became the saviors to one another. He eased her pain--she healed his heart. He made her feel again--she brought happiness into his life… Despite the fact that the ending seemed a bit abrupt to me, I liked it anyway. I loved that their love was so strong, so much so that it made Tabitha forgive him for the agony he had caused her after the accident, and at the same time, it also made Vandal want to be a better man who deserved her.

By the way, the last chapter took me by surprise. It left me stunned!

[nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Vandal. Such a tortured soul.
This book is slightly different to that of Storms, mainly because Vandal is a harder character to love. His story is deep and quite dark in places, and he will make you work hard to fall for him. I always feel emotionally drained after reading this one, and also slightly angry...and that would be Tabi’s doing. No matter how many times I return to this book, I struggle to find the good in her and I’m not always convinced that she is the right one for Vandal...but, I trust Carian Cole, and I know that when we return to their story, things will be made right.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author is so brilliant love all her books she made vandal real and even gave him a soft side that was realistic such a good read.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until I received a gift of a copy of Storm, the first book in the Ashes & Embers series, I had never heard of Carian Cole and I was just amazed at how beautiful, thoughtful and romantic that debut book was to read. Now with Vandal, a book about another bandmate of Storm's, we get the tragic story of a man who has virtually lost everything that gave him reason to live. The first three chapters of this book were so gut-wrenching and sweetly emotional and then devastating, that I cried like a damn baby and I thought, "OMG and I have just started reading"!
When Vandal drowns himself in booze and drugs and finds his only solace in inflicting pain upon himself, he is at rock bottom and even his own bandmates ask for a time-out from dealing with his issues. He is forced to get clean or be gone and just when he thinks his life is complicated enough, he meets Tabitha.
Tabitha is a fragile and beautiful woman going through her own loss and like Vandal, feels like she has nothing left to live for...these two are a recipe for disaster or maybe not. What happens when they connect on a very deep, dark and somewhat perverse level, is fascinating, erotic and a dangerous path to either healing or total destruction.
This is really another one of those books that to tell too many details would destroy the pleasure of discovery and enjoyment of the journey to its final conclusion. There are many interesting twists and turns and just when you think you know what will happen, a surprise revelation will knock you over.
The romance was very strong, hotter than hot erotica in some parts with a dash of Dom/sub play which is how Vandal prefers to enjoy his playtime. It is used as both a means of pleasure, a way to forget and dull the pain of reality and somehow heal the wounds of great personal loss.
I really liked this book a lot...it was definitely more adult in nature than Storm (which I found to be more sweet and tender)...and had a more gritty edge to the characters and lifestyle. A beautiful and at times painful look at learning to forgive yourself, never forget the past but move on without regret.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

***** 5 ***** "everything right in all his wrongs" stars

[A.J. Downey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been Vandalized.

I received an ARC of Vandal just as I was leaving on vacation. I read my entire 4+ hour flight to our destination and then promptly told my family to F&$@ off until I finished it.

Vandal was not a sweet story. It was dark it was ugly in places and it was raw as all get out and it was EXCELLENT. It's taken me a week to sit down and write this and Vandal is still strong with me. I don't want to give anything away but I am telling you now, do not go into this book expecting Storm. Storm and his sweet ways is no where to be found.

What Carian did here was BSDM but she did it right. There is a total power exchange between Vandal and Tabi, both are holding dark secrets that by all rights should tear them apart but instead it does something entirely different.

You just have to read it. This book left me hung over in some of the best ways for days. I couldn't stop thinking about it and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Beautifully and masterfully done darlin', please don't stop.

[Just A Girl With Spirit · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Oh what tangled webs we weave, when we practice to deceive.” I will never forget that saying from my youth. I fell down a dark and twisty hole with Vandal, and he stole my heart. I don’t know how but he did. This story blew me away! I love a damaged, mean alpha that melts away as the story progresses. Can you imagine never being loved or even hearing I love you from someone. I have been vandalized in the most delicious way, and my heart will never recover. What about that epilogue Carian Cole. Talk about jaw hitting the floor!! Girl, you are gooood!!!

[Jamie *Gypsy Smut-a-teer* · Rating 3 out of 5]

REVIEW:
hmmmm, I'm kind of stumped on how I feel about this book. Some of it I loved, it was deep and extremely heartbreaking, other parts of it though just left me wanting more, I think. Let me see if I can make sense of this....

The first few chapters of the book were beyond gripping. I'm 8 months pregnant, and I started it way too late at night for sure, but I had to put it down and start again the next day. It was just, and I know I'm repeating myself here, but there is no other word other than HEARTBREAKING!!! I'm almost afraid to put too much info here because I don't want to ruin the story so I'm going to be pretty vague. Vandal is the drummer in Ashers and Embers. The same band that Storm was in book 1. They are on a break and the book actually starts out with Vandal literally pounding into his on again off again hometown piece. However, he gets a call from his former piece and has to take a late night trip despite his better judgement. This one road trip ends up costing him and others dearly.

So, like I was saying the first part, no matter how difficult it was to read, was amazing. Even though it literally hurt to read it, it ended up being my favorite part of the book. I liked how raw it was and the writing was flawless. Now, with that said I didn't hate the other part of the book, I think certain parts of it just ended up making me a little mad, and at times I honestly got a little tired of reading about Vandal and Tabi getting it on and wanted to get to the big reveal part. Tabi and Vandal have a very twisted and heartbreaking past. There is that word again, I know. One Tabi doesn't even know they share. But Vandal is convinced Tabi is the very one for him. So this would be the part where I will admit to be a little aggravated. I've read plenty of books before where there is some huge lie and we know it's going to end up with a huge explosion, but this one just seemed different. Vandal almost seemed to be taking advantage of Tabi and being a major hypocrite the entire time. He was jealous of people from her past, yet felt no need to explain himself EVER, and seeing how their past is connected, I felt, he had NO RIGHT. This normally doesn't really bother me, except that I have that underlying dread of what's to come, but this time it just seemed so wrong. I don't know, blame my hormones, it just affected me different this time.

I will say, in the very very end, there ends up being a little twist I never expected. However, once I read it, I guess it didn't have the impact on me I thought it should have. I don't know. I was shocked for sure, but it almost seemed to be like an afterthought, and it led me to believe that had that little input been put one, two, maybe 3 chapters earlier the ending would have made sense, but it just led me to believe that another explosion was on the horizon instead and us as the readers were going to have to use our imagination on how it went down.

I loved Storm's book and when I read what this one was going to be about I was super excited. I could tell it was going to be amazing. I guess it just goes to say that not every book can win you over, and even though there were parts of this book I completely loved, there were also parts that just left me..... a little disappointed. It totally sounds like there could be a second book though, because it was basically a HEA for now, because I could totally see more shit hitting the fan with these two, and that little twist, yeah I would love to see how that part plays out if the other person found out about it....So we'll seee.....

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so disrespectful...

Don't listen to this book if you, as a reader don't wish to be disrespected, but if you simply MUST read this, definitely skip that absurd epilogue.

The story wasn't great to begin with, and that epilogue managed to ruin it even worse.

Also, real quick, I'm gonna need authors to stop the female slutshaming thing... and I specified "female" because somehow it never matters when a male character has had a lot of sex...

The hero literally splept with the entire country and even brought the heroine to meet a fenale rock band, and he happened to have slept with all the girls in the band...

Can you imagine if the heroine slept with a few guys and brought the hero to meet them...?

The double standard is disgusting...

The hero monologues about how Tabatha has only slept with 3 guys, and we as the reader, i guess are supposed to think she's superior to all the other "whores..."

And yes, Carian Cole is one of those authors who puts down other women to prop up the heroine...

Why make the hero...literally the guy we are supposed to be rooting for, call other women sluts and whores... and "chicks" and "strippers (derogatory)?"

Don't worry, Tabatha, the heroine does it too, unprompted. She called a receptionist at the hero's tattoo shop, a slut and for some reason, this author thought readers were going to like this...

I don't like internalized misogyny... and I bet a lot of other romance readers don't...

Also, how am i supposed to like the guy who is an alcoholic but blames his baby mama when she took him to court over it...

You are NOT a fit parent, my guy...

You drove tired and put your daughter's life in danger just cause you "didn't want to go to court again..."

Um, how about you put the safety of your daughter first...?!

And you get ONE Saturday with your daughter, yet you still spent the day having sex with a stranger while your daughter is in your house....? You get ONE day with her... and youre spending that day with someone else...

And you wonder why your baby mama hates you...? Who WOULDN'T hate you...?

Stop calling your baby mama a "bitch..." I'm on HER side...

Youre the one whos an unreliable drunk...

I am very comfused about what Carian Cole was supposed to be doing with this book... especially the epilogue.

Do not waste your time.