Daddy's Little Bait

Villain Daddies #1

by Celia Crown

Jax

I have been watching her. For the past six months, I have been learning her habits, routine, and disposing of those who came too close to what’s mine.

Being a two-time convicted felon doesn’t allow much room for freedom, and one more strike would land me a life in prison without parole stamp on my record.

Just one more job and I would go into hiding until the heat dies down.

She is supposed to be a piece in my plan, a disposable component that somehow wormed her way into my ice-cold heart, and in some twisted way, I fell in love.

She became everything, and the stakes are at the highest now.

I can’t lose her.

Romy

Life is great. As great as it can be when I get kidnapped in my own home with my roommate right next door.

I don’t know what I did wrong to get into this situation, but the man, albeit a little too handsome, is grouchy and scarily mean.

He leaves me in the dark, chained to a worn bed in an abandoned hospital.

He said that all I needed to do is to be a good little girl and he wouldn’t hurt me too much, they aren’t exactly comforting words for an eighteen-year-old girl.

For someone who is going to kill me after all of this is done because I saw his face, he has a strange obsession with me.

He treats me better than a prisoner, but his words and actions are rough and cruel.

It’s too confusing.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Novella, Stalker, Anti Hero

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 13, 2019

About the author

Minors: Do Not Interact. I write explicit content, please be respectful of the rule so I can protect everyone to the best of my ability.

Hit me up in IG Q&A if you're curious about anything.

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(Just me on a mental beach drinking a tall, sexy Tears of Stress while I avoid working on the 5 unfinished WIP because ✨writer's block.✨)

Reviews

[Anne E ♡ emo + OTT Hs · Rating 3 out of 5]

ADDED (3/11/22): Plot
3.5-star

PLOT...18yo media-consultant h gets kidnapped from her bedroom by her stalker of 6 months, early-30s(?) ex-con bank-robber H. H's original plan was to use stranger h as a distraction for their major & final heist. But seeing her picture from the 1st time immediately changed his mind. She was still going to be his heist-team's bait but he planned on keeping her for himself forever. He kept her chained in an abandoned hospital room, knowing that her fear of haunted places, the dark, and storms and various other fears would keep her from running away and encourage her to run to him. After 1 month of being drugged and conditioned to depend on H, H finally smexxes her and then drops her off in a public place to distract the police and the public as a way to sneak into the bank nearby to steal millions. She wakes up in a hospital with the FBI and her male roommate-friend questioning her about her captor. But she won't tell about H since she loves him and trusts in his promise to come back for her. Five months later, H finally finds her in the newest location with another identity that the witness-protection program provided h & her BFF. Epilogue 2 months later with H&h are now engaged or married and living in Alaska with h's BFF living nearby.

Better rom/rom dev/chars/char dev than Cruel Lies. This late-20s/early 30s ex-con bank-robber H was also controlling, manipulative & turned-on about hurting 18yo virgin h in a BDSM-y kind of way. Unlike Cruel Lies, this h reciprocated and liked his physical punishment of her (i.e., spankings, rough sexual handling of her). So, the detailed sex scenes were steamy & more enjoyable to read. The 1st sex scene also happened sooner in this book (around 60%).

The biggest difference between the romance & characterization of this H from Cruel Lies is this H's stalkery-obsession with h was more romantic. This H was also more emotionally vulnerable to h and less emotionally manipulative of h. He also wasn't a sex-driven guy and had been celibate for awhile while the other H's sexual habits & history remained a mystery. So, this H's obsession with h at 1st-sight was special & his handling of her was kinder & protective than the other book's H. He was jealous & possessive over her, even among his teammates. He didn't want her hurt by anyone or anything but him. Like the other book's H, this H demanded her obedience & submission to him or risk punishment. But unlike the other H, this H was gentler with her and punished her more by leaving her alone. It worked because it made her whine and cry for him since she was scared of being left alone and other fears.

This h was more phobic & clingy than the other book's h. Using her many fears to condition her to depend on H & see him as her rescuer was easier than the more-independent h of the other book. This h wasn't a total robot though. She did fall in love with H and the 5 months of their separation didn't change that. The combination of therapy, her friend's telling her she couldn't love somebody who kidnapped her & hurt her, and being in FBI's witness-protection program didn't wear down her love for H. It's this aspect which made their romance and characterization better than Cruel Lies.

Emotionally-involving writing, which helped with the creep factor & overall discomfort about this couple's Captor-kidnapped romance and characterization. Definitely a dark romance with a dubious-consent theme. Although h did fall in love with H, the chance/danger of him physically hurting her if she disobeys him later in their marriage is very possible. It's a read that left me uncomfortable for h's overall well-being at the end. He did love her. But the conditional nature of their relationship and his violent tendencies even towards her can't make me rate this novella higher.

Sexual History:
18yo virgin h had never dated nor kissed anyone likely due to her many fears. H had sex before but was not sex-driven, unlike his teammates. When they would have a heist-victory celebration, H never joined their booze-fest and women-fest parties. He preferred the high of planning their next bank heist. He'd been celibate for awhile but no info on how long. He wasn't 1 to masturbate that much either. But he'd been masturbating a lot since seeing h's photo 6 months ago and stalking her since.

[Raecharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jax has been stalking Romy for six months she is supposed to only be part of the plan he needs in order for execution. However once he has her it turns into so much more. Romy is terrified of the man who has her call him Daddy she doesn't know what to expect. But when Daddy shows her what happens when she disobeys she knows that she doesn't want to make him upset. Jax keeps Romy in an abandoned hospital away from anyone so he can train her to his needs while he has her. When a storm moves in and scares her she ends up cutting her feet on broken glass and Jax shows her his gentles side by taking care of her. Yet its not for nothing he expects a reward of his own for helping her. Romy's room mate report's her missing which is the next step in Jax's plan and the others he is working with show up and try to move on Romy. What will Jax do once his plan is finished? Will Romy stay with Jax with how they came together?

This is a dark romance but once you start reading it'll have you on the edge of your seat. This is a well written and very entertaining story. I would recommend this book to any book lover that enjoys dark romances.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dede · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cant believe it took me almost 2 years to finish a 120-somthing page book. (i dont rememebr what happened but its an HAE- )

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Jax & Romy's story. Good characters. Lots of suspense. Couldn't get enough. I'm voluntarily leaving an honest review for a copy of the book via booksprout.

[Yarm · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Not my usual thing but thought I would give it a try. If you like messed up ott-psychopathic-abusive heroes, and can look past some editing errors, then you might enjoy this story.

[Julianne Macneil · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book as part of an arc program. This is a dark romance where Jax kidnaps Romy after stalking her for six months. Jax wants to use Romy's kidnapping as a distraction to the bank robbery he and his team are committing. Jax makes Romy call him Daddy and he trains her to obey him. Jax holds Romy in an old abandoned hospital where there is graffiti and broken glass everywhere. When Romy gets scared during a storm, she cuts her feet and Jax bandages them, making her need to pay him back for his kindness. Jax knows Romy is a virgin and has no experience with men at all. Romy's roommate Kevin is the one who reports her missing and he is anxious to get her back. Romy starts to feel protected by Jax and starts to have feelings for him. I enjoyed this book, Romy was naive and suffered Stockholm Syndrome and wanted to be with Jax. Good one.

[Alarna · Rating 3 out of 5]

i didn't really like this book. the H was just mean and i dislike how the h did a 180 in her feelings after she had been found, before waking up in the proper hospital she wanted to go home and was mainly terrified of the H but after she wakes up she just wants to go back and is saying that she loves him and he loves her.

it didn't feel like the H actually liked the h, one of the other charters put it best 'he doesn't love her he loves his control over her' (or something like that) witch i think is evident on the multiple times he stated that he doesn't want her to have her own opinions and thorts he just wants complete and utter control over her so he basically just wants a doll or a pet that he can command to do what he wants as he pleases. i get that this book is meant to be about a bad guy but instead of it feeling like he does love her and just likes control it instead felt like i was reading about domestic abuse where the husband just wants a pretty doll to completely control that has no thorts of her own or her own personality just doing what he says when he says it or hell punish her.

the H in the epilogue was way different then he had been shown the rest of the book, it was quite jarring and i dont think the H would have changed that much. :(

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had such a strong dark-romance setup, but it ended up feeling more like a fast outline of a story than a fully developed one. The abandoned hospital, the captivity, the psychological conditioning, and Jax’s terrifying possessiveness all had the potential to make this incredibly intense. Instead, the book moves at such a fast pace that the emotional development never really gets room to breathe. Once Romy is captured, weeks pass in large time jumps, and rather than showing the day-to-day interactions that would explain how fear turns into attachment, the story mostly just tells us that it happened.

That was the biggest disappointment for me. Jax’s fixation on Romy is declared through internal thoughts about her getting under his skin, while Romy’s shift from terrified captive to accepting the “good little girl” dynamic happens so quickly that it feels abrupt instead of psychologically earned. For this kind of dark romance to really work, I need to see the push-and-pull, the gradual breakdown of resistance, and the chemistry building through actual scenes. Instead, the book skips most of that middle phase and jumps straight from high-stakes captivity to attachment and then the HEA. The premise was phenomenal, but the execution felt too rushed and hollow for me.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short dark story about a young woman named Romy and her kidnapper named Jax. Although Jax doesn’t want to hurt Romy once he’s spent time with her and has fallen for her this does place them both in a strange awkward situation. Romy wants to live and so she obeys Jax and they begin to have an awkward and forced on Romy, a daddy/little relationship. You could say Romy is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome with her need to stay with Jax. What happens when they are torn apart though? Does Romy love Jax or was it just her will to survive? This is a quick read and due to the length of the story the characters are not completely fleshed out, but I don’t think that really takes away from this story. It’s an interesting plot and the author has done a good job with it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gladys · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is really quite twisty and dark. So, I think I'm pretty safe saying it will work for you or be a huge turn-off. My advise is to be sure to read the blurb. It gives a good look at what to expect and if you are in doubt, I recommend you give this one a pass because there are plenty of triggers in this book. As for me I thought it was intense, a bit creepy, disturbing and edgy. I liked it but I think it could have been much better in a longer form. I enjoy novella length reads but these characters and this story deserved more room to be explored and developed. Still, if you are a fan of dark and twisted reads with sharp edges, it is worth reading. I just wish there had been more to it. Of my own accord I am posting a sincere review.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book was MESSED up. But in like, the best way? Make sure you like dark twisted romances before you decide to read this because it does not go easy on you. Our male lead loves to hurt Romy and make her cry. If that's too disturbing for you, definitely move along. This guy is definitely a sadist and probably a psychopath so don't expect to get much logic from him. I do like the fact that they address the Stockholm Syndrome that Romy probably has. It's just an interesting, dark read. The one thing is, it REALLY needs to be edited. There are plenty of incorrect or missing words. Also, I get the sense the book was translated or maybe English wasn't the authors first language because of the the syntax is odd so just be aware if that's something that bothers you.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our heroine is kidnapped to serve as a distraction for the hero's other activities, but he seems caught in his own trap.

This is a dark romance with strong D/S elements. I found the story to be well written and easy to read, with an interesting plot that kept my interest up to the end. This is not a story for everyone as some of the elements are rather harsh, but it worked for me. I liked the characters and enjoyed watching the developing relationship between them. Overall, it made for an enjoyable read.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.

[Agata · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you look past the typos, the story is still not great. The way in which Romy's thinking changed so fast was simply weird and unnatural. The fact that Jax is a psycho is not sitting right with me. I mean he should get help. And finally what was the last straw for me, was the best friend who did nothing when he figured out who Jax is. Is he really that good of a friend if he did nothing besides telling Jax that he knows?
If you're looking for something more than badly written and abuse-like smut and a psychopathic "daddy" then do not give this book a go.

[Cheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an odd story. Aside from the many spelling and grammatical errors, the writing style lacked depth. The book would've benefitted from more editing. I don't enjoy Daddy kink but I decided to gove the story a try and I was left disappointed. Romy was supposed to be 18 and yet she acted like a six years old. What little enjoyment I felt was tempered by always wondering if she was special needs. Always referring to her 'tummy' and her OTT terror of ghosts. It ended abruptly and I truly didn't understand the inclusion of Kevin figuring out Jax's true identity.

[Kim Wijnja · Rating 4 out of 5]

yeah .. i;ll honestly say .. i dont know what to think of it .. the story reads well, but it must really be your taste. the characters are well described and come into their own just like the story .. all together worth 4 stars .. if I will read something like that again .. no dont think so, but everyone who likes it .. enjoy reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[BookSLoth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It a fast and steamy read that as little plot development or characters complexity. It's a book that is literally, I think, 75 pages long. It is meant to quickly get the characters into insta-love romance and lead them into a HEA thereafter. There will be a steamy-love scene to get the romance blooming. Wham, bam, thank you Sir.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer Bourgeois · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was too short. They mention Stockholm Syndrome, but they did it wrong. That's not how Stockholm Syndrome works. Besides that it was a great read. I love the interaction with the characters. I love the ending. I don't recommend if you are faint of heart. This book is a very dark book so it might not be suitable for everyone. But if you love romance and dark novels then you will love this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is well written.
This one is so dark with wonder twists it was so intense and a bit creepy I loved it. This book may not be for some people, but I like the dark story that has manipulation and such intense emotions. I was a bit disappointed when it ended I was enjoying it so much. If you like dark this is the one to get. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is tough. You have to read the blurb very carefully, especially if you are sensitive to some themes, because there a triggers in the story such as dubious consent, emotional manipulation, and Stockholm Syndrome. Other than that, the story follows Jax and Romy. I don't want to write any spoilers, just that warning, so everybody can decide for themselves.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I can see the potential but as is I really wouldn't recommend this book. I love a good dark romance but generally you can see the legitimate chemistry and feelings grow between the main characters this book did not convey that. The last page, when I should have been sighing over a happy ending, I was still sure he needed to be behind bars and she needed years of in house intensive therapy and medication.

***I decided to review an ARC of this book.***

[Patti Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark & dirty

Wow. First time reader for this author & even though it was dark & dirty, I enjoyed reading it. Romy was kidnapped in order to help with her DADDYS plan. Jax aka DADDY has been watching her for 6 plus months to put his plan into effect. Its such an interesting book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the stranger stories I have read. There are quite a number of typos but they are not that troublesome somehow. It just lies in the story itself, it doesn't support more... so three stars it is for this one.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is dark, edgy, rough, and dirty. The author took us on a dark ride filled with twisted love, kidnapping, torment, and very raw sexual content. If you like dark romances, then this book is for you; you will not be disappointed.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this story, I could not put it down. I read the book in one day. This author is an awesome writer. I can not wait to read more of their books. Keep up the great work. You should definitely read this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amanda Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely has a interesting time reading this book. It has moments that leave you confused at times maybe. But overall, a interesting take on a different view of dark romance to read. I would recommend to give this book ma shot to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Laila Viking · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has potential but that is all. A lack of editing destroyed the story for me. A few could have been overseen but there are a lot. The story is very fast paced, short and because of that it lacks depth and the characters could have been described better. It is rushed.
A story you can read but it has nothing in it that makes me think about it and want to read it again.

[LiteratureLover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Just wow! They plot was executed beautifully. Not only did this book give you a dose of darkness but it goes there, where being held captive, pulls you in.

[Raychel Murray]

I’m honestly not sure how to rate this book.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5*

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this in the hopes it would get better, it didn’t.
Multiple sentences didn’t make sense. The writing was incredibly awkward and I struggled through this hoping it would end.
Do not recommend.