What do you think?
Rate this book
A debt is owed, and he takes me as payment.
HER
When my father runs up too much debt, I pay the price.
I’ve been sold.
Sold to a man who vows to break me.
A man who keeps his face hidden from me, even as his dark desires awaken mine.
It wasn’t my debt to pay, but he took me, anyway.
He said he would have his payment, even if it cost me my soul.
HIM
I run the club.
If someone steps out of line, they either work for me or disappear.
But when a local man runs up too much debt, I take his daughter as payment.
She is mine to do with as I please.
I will have her completely; mind, body, and soul.
Nothing would please me more than breaking her.
I didn’t think I would feel for her.
I didn’t think I could love again.
Now I might be the one who ends up broken.
HER
When my father runs up too much debt, I pay the price.
I’ve been sold.
Sold to a man who vows to break me.
A man who keeps his face hidden from me, even as his dark desires awaken mine.
It wasn’t my debt to pay, but he took me, anyway.
He said he would have his payment, even if it cost me my soul.
HIM
I run the club.
If someone steps out of line, they either work for me or disappear.
But when a local man runs up too much debt, I take his daughter as payment.
She is mine to do with as I please.
I will have her completely; mind, body, and soul.
Nothing would please me more than breaking her.
I didn’t think I would feel for her.
I didn’t think I could love again.
Now I might be the one who ends up broken.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2020
1313 people are currently reading
1795 people want to read
About the author
Vi Carter
170 books1,301 followersWhen Vi Carter isn’t writing dark romance books that feature the mafia, are filled with suspense, and take you on a fast-paced ride, you can find her reading her favorite authors, baking, taking photos or enjoying long walks in the Irish countryside.
Vi’s biggest selling series, Young Irish Rebels, is available in Audio, English and Dutch.
Married with three children, Vi divides her time between motherhood and all the other hats she wears as an author.
She has declared herself a coffee & chocolate addict! Do not judge.
Subscribe to Vi’s newsletter for a free book to follow her down a dark path alongside the Mafia!
Keep up with Vi on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5f609c...
Facebook➜ https://l1nk.dev/AuthorViCarter
Twitter➜ http://hyperurl.co/qzbewu
Goodreads ➜ http://hyperurl.co/qcw7g0
Website ➜ https://authorvicarter.com
Instagram➜ https://l1nk.dev/authorvicarter
Vi’s biggest selling series, Young Irish Rebels, is available in Audio, English and Dutch.
Married with three children, Vi divides her time between motherhood and all the other hats she wears as an author.
She has declared herself a coffee & chocolate addict! Do not judge.
Subscribe to Vi’s newsletter for a free book to follow her down a dark path alongside the Mafia!
Keep up with Vi on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5f609c...
Facebook➜ https://l1nk.dev/AuthorViCarter
Twitter➜ http://hyperurl.co/qzbewu
Goodreads ➜ http://hyperurl.co/qcw7g0
Website ➜ https://authorvicarter.com
Instagram➜ https://l1nk.dev/authorvicarter
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
October 26, 2020
Sometimes life is just too short to waste on a book that isn't hitting the mark. I feel I gave this one a good go but at 64% I just can't do it to myself anymore.
Unlike some readers the "darkness" in this didn't bother me - particularly as it didn't really seem to bother the heroine either. Despite being technically raped anally and vaginally she put up all the fight of a week old well-fed kitten. Jeez this book, and heroine, had my eyeballs rolling so much I'm surprised they didn't fall out of my head. If I had a pound for every time she decided she would fight back/say no/take control and then promptly folded like an undercooked souffle I'd have enough to buy me a book or two with strong heroines.
I get this is fiction, so I'm prepared to give the plot some leeway but this one sailed so far from the shore of anything believable that reality is a tiny dot on the distant horizon. There is absolutely nothing likeable in the least about Gerald, and to be honest nothing sexy either. He is a murderer and a rapist and has yet to demonstrate either the tiniest morsel of remorse or show any real care towards Cara. The only positive is that it was in KU so I didn't waste any money on it.
Unlike some readers the "darkness" in this didn't bother me - particularly as it didn't really seem to bother the heroine either. Despite being technically raped anally and vaginally she put up all the fight of a week old well-fed kitten. Jeez this book, and heroine, had my eyeballs rolling so much I'm surprised they didn't fall out of my head. If I had a pound for every time she decided she would fight back/say no/take control and then promptly folded like an undercooked souffle I'd have enough to buy me a book or two with strong heroines.
I get this is fiction, so I'm prepared to give the plot some leeway but this one sailed so far from the shore of anything believable that reality is a tiny dot on the distant horizon. There is absolutely nothing likeable in the least about Gerald, and to be honest nothing sexy either. He is a murderer and a rapist and has yet to demonstrate either the tiniest morsel of remorse or show any real care towards Cara. The only positive is that it was in KU so I didn't waste any money on it.
June 8, 2020
*Possible Spoilers* Gerald and Cara's story felt like it could have been so much more. Gerald had no redeeming qualities whatsoever and Cara felt like a doormat. The anal rapes were uncalled for and odd. But I was hoping it would come together, Cara would grow more confident in her power over Gerald, Gerald would do something to make me think he was more than a disgusting human being. When he did finally start trying, it felt like too little too late. I can deal with complicated monsters, but it was almost to the point of let's see how much more worse we can make him. And the Linda twist? It felt false and contrived. But why no 1 or 2 star rating? Because no matter how "bad" it got, I wanted to find out how it ended, I wanted to see if they had a HEA. So if the writing can keep me hooked even if the content annoys me, that goes a long way for me.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 31, 2023
What the actual f was this?
April 18, 2020
Seriously?
So not romance. Gerald is a lying scheming vile excuse of a man! He lies about the debt and takes the man's life. Cara is an idiot. One minute she is crying and is repulsed and the next minute she's fine with being sold and raped. So wrong! The plot, the situations, just wrong! No way will I read more in this series.
So not romance. Gerald is a lying scheming vile excuse of a man! He lies about the debt and takes the man's life. Cara is an idiot. One minute she is crying and is repulsed and the next minute she's fine with being sold and raped. So wrong! The plot, the situations, just wrong! No way will I read more in this series.
January 6, 2023
While the non-con elements were right up my alley the surrounding plot hadn't been given much thought, and everything outside of the sex, bordered on the absurd.
July 1, 2022
1 stars
So apparently it's super not safe for me. There was threesome in the middle of the book and I have to ditched it. I was quite emotionless about it since I'm currently struggling with covid and I couldn't give a f to most of the things that were happening in my life rn, too tired to care, too sick to feel anything else basically. But still I could not proceed with this book. Bye.
So apparently it's super not safe for me. There was threesome in the middle of the book and I have to ditched it. I was quite emotionless about it since I'm currently struggling with covid and I couldn't give a f to most of the things that were happening in my life rn, too tired to care, too sick to feel anything else basically. But still I could not proceed with this book. Bye.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2023
I'm going to have to spoil the hell out of this; I don't see any way around it.
This book hit me all wrong, for a whole bunch of reasons. I won't give a comprehensive list or explanation of them here, but I think a couple in particular need to be said.
One main issue is the MC's first truncated sex scene. This is not in fact a sex scene at all, but actually the hero forcibly sodomizing the heroine, with almost no preparation and nothing but a single time when he tells the heroine to spit on his hand for lube. They're interrupted, but the second attempt continues in the exact same way, this time with only a single instance of the hero spitting in his hand, and it continues to completion. To be clear, the heroine is not okay with this any of this in either instance. It's suggested that she feels some pleasure despite herself, but it doesn’t feel very believable or convincing to me.
For better or worse, I'm usually titillated by dubcon/noncon, but these two encounters actually just gross me out. I think it's something about the fact that he skips her pussy and goes straight to anal. And also, not only is he uninterested in her pleasure, he doesn't care that he's probably seriously physically harming her. True, there's not much of a focus on Cara's pain in these scenes, but with that little lube and that little prep, it's guaranteed that Gerald is ripping her asshole and anal cavity apart, and she'll be bleeding, likely for days.
All of this sends a strong message to me that this guy doesn't give a shit about the heroine. To be clear, I'm not just talking about the fact that he doesn't care about her as a person, because of course he doesn't, nor I would I expect him to at this stage. He views her as a possession, in the way we might expect a depraved sociopath who has just 'bought' human being. That is standard. What I find unattractive in these encounters is that he doesn't even seem to place much value on her as a possession. For all his apparent attention he places on her, she seems like trash to him.
Another misstep is demonstrated when he's walking away after this encounter, and he hears her sobbing through the door. In Gerald's words, "I can’t stay in the house. Cara’s cries follow me the whole way to the club. I had wanted to stay outside her door and just listen while a small part of me wanted her to stop." My problem with this is that it doesn't make sense to me. He's leaving the house because he can't stand the sound of her cries, but in the same moment he's saying he wanted to stay and listen. Which is it? I know he's conflicted, as suggested in the 'small part of him' bit, but this doesn't read like conflicting desires, it reads like it doesn't make sense.
That quote also brings me to my next problem, which is that, for the most part, he's pretty apathetic toward her and what's he's doing to her. He enjoys the sex/assault, and he'll occasionally take note of her adverse reaction to it, but he doesn't seem to find much of either sadistic pleasure or discomfort with her tears. We don't get much of how he feels about her, other than excited to fuck her. We don't feel his purported obsession, and because of that it doesn't seem that strong to me.
Now, all of this is driven home to me in a scene with Linda, and it's really the biggest downfall of the book in my eyes. In the scene, about 50% in, he confesses that everything he's doing to Cara is grooming, and his true agenda in to ultimately put her to work in the "back rooms" of the club, which is to say that he's planning on pimping her out. He makes a point in his narrative to mention that he's being honest as he says this, and it changes everything for me.
Gerald's revelation puts a whole new, repulsive spin on everything that's happened so far. He's not actually entraced by Cara's beautiful dancing, he's seeing dollar signs. And her dancing is incidental, because despite her talent, he still plans to have her relegated to the back room. All of his finagling to get her as a sex slave isn't about any fascination with her at all, it's a business decision. She's not even 'for' him, she's for his wealthy clients to use. This means that while he may enjoy their sexual encounters, with varying degrees of consent, they aren't something he does out of desire for her, they're done as part of his agenda to break her in, to ready her to be sexually used and abused in all manner of fucked up ways, by whoever will pay for the pleasure. In short, he's a human trafficker, and he plans to traffick Cara for sex. This is well into the book by the way, and after he's taken her virginity.
Then, on the day that Gerald decides to have Cara dance center stage at the club, Linda, out of spite, instead tells her that she is to go to the back room and service a client. Linda assures Cara that Gerald is aware and is okay with this, but in fact he was not aware. Cara is forced to masturbate in front of a guy and get ejaculated on. After, Linda revealed that her dad was dead, and therefore the debt was void, and she kicked her out.
There is so much wrong about how all of this goes down. First, directly after Cara is told that Gerald has pimped her out and while she's being made to get off, she uses the thought of Gerald to reach orgasm. Seriously?? Right after she found out that he has put her in that awful situation, that he's forcing her to have sex with strangers for his profit, he's still her happy sexy fantasy?? Wow, okay.
Then, when she's told to leave, she's super sad about it! Like, girl, even aside from all of the bullshit that comes with being held captive, raped, etc. you were just totally violated and forced to perform a sex act with a creepy old man, and it made you feel horrible and humiliated, and you want to stay and keep doing that? All so you can keep having sex with the guy who is making you do that? None of this experience or fresh betrayal makes you want to get out of there, at all? I could understand having some of her feelings in her position, but I think it would have been a lot more believable if she had shown some conflicting emotions, some ambivalence, you know? Felt some good and some bad.
Instead, the bulk of her devastation is that she has been cast aside and has to go back to her house, where her accommodations aren't as fancy. I mean, come on. I get that her bed was bigger at the castle, but that room was also her jail cell where she was locked in her room all day, everyday, with absolutely nothing to do, and was only let out to dance or to have sex with Gerald.
And another thing, and this is a big one: for all of her pathetic feelings for the guy, they have barely spoken to each other. Their only interactions are sex, and usually wordless sex at that. She can't even see him when she has it! I'm just not convinced.
What happens next pisses me off, too. First, Gerald gets enraged at Linda for sending Cara to the boom boom room. I guess everyone's seemingly forgotten that that was his idea in the first place, one he vocalized only about 20% of the book earlier and hadn't said a word otherwise since. He goes to see Cara, and she's hurt that he sent her to the back rooms, and then this exchange happens:
Then they have sex. That's it. Not another word about it. In the last little bit of the novel, Gerald is reassuring Cara that the back room isn't a bad place, saying, "Every person in every room has given their consent. No one is ever forced. What Linda did to you was wrong, Cara. If I could change it, I would."
But the thing is, he did agree to this! It was HIS FUCKING IDEA! It was his plan, for at least the first half of the book, to do exactly that. Apparently, those extra couple of sexual encounters that take place in between Gerald stating his intentions to pimp her out and Linda sending Cara to the boom boom room were gamechangers, because he must have changed his mind, but I didn't notice a dramatic shift in his attitude in that time. I mean, you could maybe count the time that he gets a little possessive of her during an orgy as something significant, but it doesn't seem like it to me. And come on, he gets head from OW in that same encounter, so it's not exactly a declaration of love. And ultimately, he never says anything to indicate a change of his plan to put Cara in the back rooms.
How dare he emphasize the importance of consent in the back rooms to Cara - and not just because he raped several times with no shame or remorse! Gerald's plan was to traffick a woman for sex. Luckily he caught feelings for her, otherwise he would have done exactly that. This demonizing of Linda and making himself seem above such a heinous act is a complete crock of shit.
I'm not down with human trafficking heroes. It's a thing. All the other organized crime is fine, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: the only happy ending I want to see for a human trafficking hero is him getting set on fire.
The heroine. Man, Cara is such fucking punk. What a sucker. It's sad, really. After everything that's happened, everything he's done to her, she says “I don’t need a coin to know you’re a good man”, and it's so depressing.
And what kind of name is Gerald for a romance novel hero?
This book hit me all wrong, for a whole bunch of reasons. I won't give a comprehensive list or explanation of them here, but I think a couple in particular need to be said.
One main issue is the MC's first truncated sex scene. This is not in fact a sex scene at all, but actually the hero forcibly sodomizing the heroine, with almost no preparation and nothing but a single time when he tells the heroine to spit on his hand for lube. They're interrupted, but the second attempt continues in the exact same way, this time with only a single instance of the hero spitting in his hand, and it continues to completion. To be clear, the heroine is not okay with this any of this in either instance. It's suggested that she feels some pleasure despite herself, but it doesn’t feel very believable or convincing to me.
For better or worse, I'm usually titillated by dubcon/noncon, but these two encounters actually just gross me out. I think it's something about the fact that he skips her pussy and goes straight to anal. And also, not only is he uninterested in her pleasure, he doesn't care that he's probably seriously physically harming her. True, there's not much of a focus on Cara's pain in these scenes, but with that little lube and that little prep, it's guaranteed that Gerald is ripping her asshole and anal cavity apart, and she'll be bleeding, likely for days.
All of this sends a strong message to me that this guy doesn't give a shit about the heroine. To be clear, I'm not just talking about the fact that he doesn't care about her as a person, because of course he doesn't, nor I would I expect him to at this stage. He views her as a possession, in the way we might expect a depraved sociopath who has just 'bought' human being. That is standard. What I find unattractive in these encounters is that he doesn't even seem to place much value on her as a possession. For all his apparent attention he places on her, she seems like trash to him.
Another misstep is demonstrated when he's walking away after this encounter, and he hears her sobbing through the door. In Gerald's words, "I can’t stay in the house. Cara’s cries follow me the whole way to the club. I had wanted to stay outside her door and just listen while a small part of me wanted her to stop." My problem with this is that it doesn't make sense to me. He's leaving the house because he can't stand the sound of her cries, but in the same moment he's saying he wanted to stay and listen. Which is it? I know he's conflicted, as suggested in the 'small part of him' bit, but this doesn't read like conflicting desires, it reads like it doesn't make sense.
That quote also brings me to my next problem, which is that, for the most part, he's pretty apathetic toward her and what's he's doing to her. He enjoys the sex/assault, and he'll occasionally take note of her adverse reaction to it, but he doesn't seem to find much of either sadistic pleasure or discomfort with her tears. We don't get much of how he feels about her, other than excited to fuck her. We don't feel his purported obsession, and because of that it doesn't seem that strong to me.
Now, all of this is driven home to me in a scene with Linda, and it's really the biggest downfall of the book in my eyes. In the scene, about 50% in, he confesses that everything he's doing to Cara is grooming, and his true agenda in to ultimately put her to work in the "back rooms" of the club, which is to say that he's planning on pimping her out. He makes a point in his narrative to mention that he's being honest as he says this, and it changes everything for me.
Gerald's revelation puts a whole new, repulsive spin on everything that's happened so far. He's not actually entraced by Cara's beautiful dancing, he's seeing dollar signs. And her dancing is incidental, because despite her talent, he still plans to have her relegated to the back room. All of his finagling to get her as a sex slave isn't about any fascination with her at all, it's a business decision. She's not even 'for' him, she's for his wealthy clients to use. This means that while he may enjoy their sexual encounters, with varying degrees of consent, they aren't something he does out of desire for her, they're done as part of his agenda to break her in, to ready her to be sexually used and abused in all manner of fucked up ways, by whoever will pay for the pleasure. In short, he's a human trafficker, and he plans to traffick Cara for sex. This is well into the book by the way, and after he's taken her virginity.
Then, on the day that Gerald decides to have Cara dance center stage at the club, Linda, out of spite, instead tells her that she is to go to the back room and service a client. Linda assures Cara that Gerald is aware and is okay with this, but in fact he was not aware. Cara is forced to masturbate in front of a guy and get ejaculated on. After, Linda revealed that her dad was dead, and therefore the debt was void, and she kicked her out.
There is so much wrong about how all of this goes down. First, directly after Cara is told that Gerald has pimped her out and while she's being made to get off, she uses the thought of Gerald to reach orgasm. Seriously?? Right after she found out that he has put her in that awful situation, that he's forcing her to have sex with strangers for his profit, he's still her happy sexy fantasy?? Wow, okay.
Then, when she's told to leave, she's super sad about it! Like, girl, even aside from all of the bullshit that comes with being held captive, raped, etc. you were just totally violated and forced to perform a sex act with a creepy old man, and it made you feel horrible and humiliated, and you want to stay and keep doing that? All so you can keep having sex with the guy who is making you do that? None of this experience or fresh betrayal makes you want to get out of there, at all? I could understand having some of her feelings in her position, but I think it would have been a lot more believable if she had shown some conflicting emotions, some ambivalence, you know? Felt some good and some bad.
Instead, the bulk of her devastation is that she has been cast aside and has to go back to her house, where her accommodations aren't as fancy. I mean, come on. I get that her bed was bigger at the castle, but that room was also her jail cell where she was locked in her room all day, everyday, with absolutely nothing to do, and was only let out to dance or to have sex with Gerald.
And another thing, and this is a big one: for all of her pathetic feelings for the guy, they have barely spoken to each other. Their only interactions are sex, and usually wordless sex at that. She can't even see him when she has it! I'm just not convinced.
What happens next pisses me off, too. First, Gerald gets enraged at Linda for sending Cara to the boom boom room. I guess everyone's seemingly forgotten that that was his idea in the first place, one he vocalized only about 20% of the book earlier and hadn't said a word otherwise since. He goes to see Cara, and she's hurt that he sent her to the back rooms, and then this exchange happens:
“I didn’t send you into those rooms, Cara. Linda did.”
“But she said you agreed.” I’m staring at him and I have no idea what I’m really feeling.
“She lied.”
Then they have sex. That's it. Not another word about it. In the last little bit of the novel, Gerald is reassuring Cara that the back room isn't a bad place, saying, "Every person in every room has given their consent. No one is ever forced. What Linda did to you was wrong, Cara. If I could change it, I would."
But the thing is, he did agree to this! It was HIS FUCKING IDEA! It was his plan, for at least the first half of the book, to do exactly that. Apparently, those extra couple of sexual encounters that take place in between Gerald stating his intentions to pimp her out and Linda sending Cara to the boom boom room were gamechangers, because he must have changed his mind, but I didn't notice a dramatic shift in his attitude in that time. I mean, you could maybe count the time that he gets a little possessive of her during an orgy as something significant, but it doesn't seem like it to me. And come on, he gets head from OW in that same encounter, so it's not exactly a declaration of love. And ultimately, he never says anything to indicate a change of his plan to put Cara in the back rooms.
How dare he emphasize the importance of consent in the back rooms to Cara - and not just because he raped several times with no shame or remorse! Gerald's plan was to traffick a woman for sex. Luckily he caught feelings for her, otherwise he would have done exactly that. This demonizing of Linda and making himself seem above such a heinous act is a complete crock of shit.
I'm not down with human trafficking heroes. It's a thing. All the other organized crime is fine, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: the only happy ending I want to see for a human trafficking hero is him getting set on fire.
The heroine. Man, Cara is such fucking punk. What a sucker. It's sad, really. After everything that's happened, everything he's done to her, she says “I don’t need a coin to know you’re a good man”, and it's so depressing.
And what kind of name is Gerald for a romance novel hero?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2020
Could not connect with this one
DARK is the first book in The Boyne Club series and is the story of Cara and Gerald. If you read the book description you know to expect something a bit darker but maybe with some redemption mixed in. I mean at the end it says "For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Sylvia Day, Meredith Wild and W. Winters" I have read these other authors, well I didn't read Fifty Shades but I got the gist of the books. For me this book was not like those in that yes there was darkness and cruelty but the h did not try to fight back and the H did not have anything redeeming about him. He even shared her with others which I did not like in this story...again not a redeeming bone in his twisted body.
I have read several books by Vi Carter that I have enjoyed but this one I just could not connect with. I ended u skimming and skipping chunks of the book to get to the end to see what happened between them.
I received a copy of this book for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
DARK is the first book in The Boyne Club series and is the story of Cara and Gerald. If you read the book description you know to expect something a bit darker but maybe with some redemption mixed in. I mean at the end it says "For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Sylvia Day, Meredith Wild and W. Winters" I have read these other authors, well I didn't read Fifty Shades but I got the gist of the books. For me this book was not like those in that yes there was darkness and cruelty but the h did not try to fight back and the H did not have anything redeeming about him. He even shared her with others which I did not like in this story...again not a redeeming bone in his twisted body.
I have read several books by Vi Carter that I have enjoyed but this one I just could not connect with. I ended u skimming and skipping chunks of the book to get to the end to see what happened between them.
I received a copy of this book for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
March 4, 2020
This is a dark read, no doubt about it. I love this genre when the author makes the reader uncomfortable about liking where the story is going. And this is that kind of story, where victim and vilain have a pull that should be wrong. It's intense, dark, hot and uncomfortable. It's a great read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 27, 2020
Gerald wants Cora and will do whatever it takes to get her and uses her alcoholic father to do it. Cora’s father gives her to Gerald in return for the money he owes her. Will Cora fall for her new master? Fast-paced read with lots of twists and turns, steam and intense chemistry. I was hooked from beginning to end. I loved it.
August 1, 2020
Disappointed
It's really frustrating when you buy a book and the foundations are all there, with ok characters and dialogue. I just couldn't connect with the style of writing because it was like matter of fact rather than storytelling.
Jakes character seemed pointless. Some of the sub characters were also pointless.
It lacked direction and needed the story to flow and build suspense rather than go for the cheapness of sex sex and more sex.
I think the author has missed an opportunity here, with a bit more story, emotional musings and character development this could indeed be an absolute unmissable addictive series.
Him a man with a tragic past who manipulated the taking of her. Her an innocent victim of circumstance taken by him who stays in the dark. There's murder, kidnapping, rape, sexual exploitation, and that's just surrounding her. I couldn't get on board with her character, there's no way she wouldn't have been afraid of tried to run.
Very disappointing because the premise is simple and intriguing.
It's really frustrating when you buy a book and the foundations are all there, with ok characters and dialogue. I just couldn't connect with the style of writing because it was like matter of fact rather than storytelling.
Jakes character seemed pointless. Some of the sub characters were also pointless.
It lacked direction and needed the story to flow and build suspense rather than go for the cheapness of sex sex and more sex.
I think the author has missed an opportunity here, with a bit more story, emotional musings and character development this could indeed be an absolute unmissable addictive series.
Him a man with a tragic past who manipulated the taking of her. Her an innocent victim of circumstance taken by him who stays in the dark. There's murder, kidnapping, rape, sexual exploitation, and that's just surrounding her. I couldn't get on board with her character, there's no way she wouldn't have been afraid of tried to run.
Very disappointing because the premise is simple and intriguing.
April 1, 2020
Darker by Vi Carter is a dark read. But it sells itself short by not taking the step and going really dark. It plays with consent and other dark themes but doesn't really commit. Cara and Gerald didn't feel fully formed to me. You read their back stories and you understand their actions but I personally didn't feel what was driving them. There was a dramatic tension that was missing. For example the hunt scene. This scene could've been a huge turning point and it fell flat. If you read the hunt scene in the Enslaved Duet by Giana Darling you'll feel the difference and see what dramatic tension to the max does to a story. Darker is not bad. It's a decent read. But if you're looking for light and fluffy this definitely isn't it and if you're looking for dark and twisted this isn't it either.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 14, 2020
This one was a tough one for me to rate so I will start off first with the things I liked about it.
It was well written. I love captive romances and this one definitely had a different vibe. Not too similar to others I've read and that's a good thing. I really liked Cara. She wasn't completely weak and helpless. Nor was she an extremely brave heroine. I would consider her a very realistic and believable character given her predicament.
The story wasn't as dark as what I first expected it to be. I seemed to have a hard time connecting with the characters and Gerald just wasn't a character I drooled over.
Overall it was a good read but not a favorite of mine.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It was well written. I love captive romances and this one definitely had a different vibe. Not too similar to others I've read and that's a good thing. I really liked Cara. She wasn't completely weak and helpless. Nor was she an extremely brave heroine. I would consider her a very realistic and believable character given her predicament.
The story wasn't as dark as what I first expected it to be. I seemed to have a hard time connecting with the characters and Gerald just wasn't a character I drooled over.
Overall it was a good read but not a favorite of mine.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 14, 2020
The blurb pulled me in, but in the end the book just didn’t come together. Dark has all the right ingredients to make an epic dark romance. Unfortunately I found it just didn’t make sense. Not in the this is an obviously fictional story, which it was, but the multiple characters were two dimensional, several different story lines just trailed off with no resolution. I borrowed this on KU thankfully, but maybe others will see some thing thing I missed.
March 9, 2021
The blurb promised too much but the actual story was pretty much a meh experience for me. I never DNF-ed books now I have started because ain't nobody got time for reads that do not deliver.
March 3, 2020
OMG! This was the best book! I could not put it down!
When the first sentence to a new book is.. Warning. This book is a dark romance. You know it is going to be a good book. And it was. Definitely! This book is about Gerald and Cara. Both Cara and Gerald are damaged. Badly. But as you get into this book, you learn what has happened in their lives to make them the way they are. You can’t put it down. It is that good! Definitely recommend!
When the first sentence to a new book is.. Warning. This book is a dark romance. You know it is going to be a good book. And it was. Definitely! This book is about Gerald and Cara. Both Cara and Gerald are damaged. Badly. But as you get into this book, you learn what has happened in their lives to make them the way they are. You can’t put it down. It is that good! Definitely recommend!
March 25, 2020
This is the first book in Vi Carter’s new series titled, Dark. This story is about Gerald and Cara. Gerald is a rich, gorgeous, alpha male but he’s a very dangerous man and the owner of the castle. He is a loyal man who believes to his core, if you hurt one of his people or you run up a debt, you either join him or else. Cara’s father ran up a large debt, which he either couldn’t or didn’t want to pay back. Gerald decided to take his daughter as payment and now he's her master.
Gerald grandfather first owned the castle and now it belongs to him. Part of the castle is rented out to various parties given by rich people, a variety of weird parties that rich people give and no question ask, but the back of the castle belong to Gerald only, and now Cara is now thrown into this strange and dangerous world that Gerald created even though she is an innocent.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Gerald grandfather first owned the castle and now it belongs to him. Part of the castle is rented out to various parties given by rich people, a variety of weird parties that rich people give and no question ask, but the back of the castle belong to Gerald only, and now Cara is now thrown into this strange and dangerous world that Gerald created even though she is an innocent.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 26, 2020
Gerald is a handsome rich guy who lives in a castle, yes a castle. Part of the castle is open to the public and that’s the first time he saw Cara. She was taking the public tour of the castle and he seen her on the video footage.
Cara’s dad was an alcoholic and ran up a tab in Gerald’s bar. Gerald’s payment was Cara who knew nothing about this. Being betrayed by her own father and sold to cover his debt.
Gerald is a troubled guy who portrays himself as the head of security so no one knows he owns the castle and the club inside it. Cara is to be one of his dancers and much more.
Will Cara be able to escape Gerald and the castle or will she fall for her capturer ? Will she dance for him and his club ? Will she have to do the unspeakable things ?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Cara’s dad was an alcoholic and ran up a tab in Gerald’s bar. Gerald’s payment was Cara who knew nothing about this. Being betrayed by her own father and sold to cover his debt.
Gerald is a troubled guy who portrays himself as the head of security so no one knows he owns the castle and the club inside it. Cara is to be one of his dancers and much more.
Will Cara be able to escape Gerald and the castle or will she fall for her capturer ? Will she dance for him and his club ? Will she have to do the unspeakable things ?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 26, 2020
This was dark read; very dark with a lot of triggers. It is hard to write this without spoilers; so I will try gently say it: lot of things is happening without consent; and I had feeling that Cara was more behaving like she was due to Stockholm syndrome (but I am not and expert and therefore this is not professional opinion).
I had lot of problems reading this, but it was so good written, that I was able to read it till end in almost one flow. Characters are developed perfectly; you can feel them and be with them, even understand Gerald as anti-hero. It was so good that even it was a bit too twisted for me; I will give it 4.5 stars.
It end with HFN; there is second part coming out soon; but I am not sure I will have strength to read it…but who knows?!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I had lot of problems reading this, but it was so good written, that I was able to read it till end in almost one flow. Characters are developed perfectly; you can feel them and be with them, even understand Gerald as anti-hero. It was so good that even it was a bit too twisted for me; I will give it 4.5 stars.
It end with HFN; there is second part coming out soon; but I am not sure I will have strength to read it…but who knows?!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 22, 2020
This story is dark and twisted but oh so beautifully written. It has an intriguing storyline that will draw you in and not let go. There are possible triggers for some and would want to read with caution. However, I adored the characters as the were so beautifully haunting. You can feel their pain and sorrow as if it is your own. I love how each of the characters grow in some form or fashion. It is addictive to the point that you can’t stop reading it. The descriptions are vivid and easily able to be pictured. I loved the ending and how we see a bit more of Gerald's life. This is a must read that won’t be able to be put down!!!!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 26, 2020
Apt title but so much more!...I'm not one to tell the story. The blurb & previous reviewers have outlined it more than adequately. It was a compelling, spell binding page turner that kept me reading until my eyes were burning but I didn't want to put it down. Even though the heroine was at the hero's mercy she wasn't a total pushover. She had spunk & she blossomed into a sexy siren. The hero became bewitched but could he let go of some of the darkness & see some of the light? This was a raw, graphic, sexy as sin novel which I got seriously invested in. I've only fairly recently come to know some of this author's work, she doesn't hold punches nor does she disappoint. Highly recommended. I received an arc & this is my honest & voluntary review.
March 24, 2020
What can I say? This was definitely a dark story but with the protagonist with a name like Gerald, you just had to fall in love with him. He was bad I have to admit but he did meet his match with Cara and I am so glad they were great characters. A good intriguing story which had me baffled at first because I didn't know what Gerald had in mind for Cara. Did he want her for himself or did he want her for the Boom Boom rooms? Altogether a very enjoyable read. I have pre-ordered Darker, the next one in the series although I do now know whose story it will be but I am waiting with baited breath for it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 24, 2020
Loved the book it was great, the story was well written and the characters are interesting. Once I started I could not put the book down from start to finish you just could not get enough with twists and turns hot and steamy like a rollercoaster ride of emotions that makes you want more with Cara and Gerald. Gerald received Cara as payment for her fathers debt, now he will break her, will he end up falling for her?
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 10, 2020
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. Dark is a fitting name for the book due to the main character Gerald. Cara was forced into the situation due to her father’s debt needing to be paid. This is a great book and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. This book was definitely hard for me to put down.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 12, 2020
A lot left unresolved
There was a bit left unresolved and the story just wasn’t quite there. Cara was held captive, but there wasn’t much darkness....except for the initial rape. The story starts 3 weeks into captivity and it misses a lot of details from that time. If it was edited and the plot holes were fixed, it would have potential to be better. Till then, I don’t recommend reading.
There was a bit left unresolved and the story just wasn’t quite there. Cara was held captive, but there wasn’t much darkness....except for the initial rape. The story starts 3 weeks into captivity and it misses a lot of details from that time. If it was edited and the plot holes were fixed, it would have potential to be better. Till then, I don’t recommend reading.
May 3, 2020
Terrible grammar
Lots of run on sentences, poor grammar, and the like. The author would switch back and forth between present and past tense. The main alpha male had zero redeeming qualities. I would not recommend this book.
Lots of run on sentences, poor grammar, and the like. The author would switch back and forth between present and past tense. The main alpha male had zero redeeming qualities. I would not recommend this book.
August 26, 2020
DNF ...stupid
September 27, 2020
I hate this,this is a rape. There is nothing romantic about it!
September 21, 2021
It just missed the mark
Had a good ending but the rest off the book lacked detail and character building. No depth. Just felt like it had missing pages.
Had a good ending but the rest off the book lacked detail and character building. No depth. Just felt like it had missing pages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews