The girl I knew was sweet and innocent, but I failed her. Now she wears her scars as comfortably as a coat. She doesn’t remember me or my promise to protect her. She’s damaged because of my failure. Alone because of me. But a sick twist of fate threw her straight into my arms, and I won’t fail her again. I don’t know what she’s been through. All I know is that I’ll storm Hell itself to tear her away from the demons of her past. I’ll free her soul. And then I'll claim her as my own.
Note: Unforgettable is a full-length dark romance that deals with sensitive subject matter.
Rory Reynolds is a stay-at-home mom of two little monsters. She's a ravenous reader of romance and firmly believes that you can never have too many book boyfriends.
She writes feisty heroines, alpha heroes, and panty drenching smut with happily ever afters.
Rose has seen her mother close in with drug addiction which one day lured her to death. Send to a foster home she meets another foster child, Matthew. Both instantly befriends each other. Matthew becomes her protector against their foster parents. In grief and lonliness Matthew was her salvation, her light in the darkness that she was born in. But when Matthew turns 18 he was forced to leave the house. Before he left he promised that he will come back to take her away. But by the time he comes back, the whole family disappears. Fast forward 10 years, Rose has forgotten anything happy. To escape rape by her foster father she enters in a contract for 6 months under a sadist Dom. Little did she know the tortures that await her. When Matthew rescuses Rose, she doesn't remember him. Rose has endured physical and emotional scars that run deep.
This is a dark romance of two souls finding light and healing each other.
before I dive into this review I'm give some warning up front.. this story is darkish romance.. it's not dark between our hero and heroine.. but the past they shared. There are trigger warnings.. such as suicidal thoughts, sexual assult, abuse, I wanted to let you guys know before hand... Now onto the review.
Hands down Matthew and Rose are my fave couple in this series.. FOR NOW lol. They grew up together in foster care and Matthew always told Rose he would take care of her. But once Matt turned 18 he had to leave the foster house he was in. That was when the real hell for Rose happened... for the past 10 years Rose was subject to being raped by her foster dad and his cruel way in a whore house, but she runs away. And signs a contract that has her being caned and abused. Lucky another Dom steps in Matthew he finally finds his Rosie and he wont let no one abuse her.
Sadden she doesnt recognize him he makes it is plan to show her he is a caring guy. And I love how he treated her, he made sure she was safe and sound he didnt push her until she was ready. It was a slowish burn in romance but amazing I building that friendship with eachother and around Rose.
Let me tell you Rose has some ups and downs and her group of friends are right beside her. And that big bad.. gets his..
I love Hannah I cant wait for her story with Slade.. I NEED THEIR STORY NOW!! also i want slade to beg.. he deserves it for the push and pull. I ALREADY ADOPTED HANNAH SHES MINE TO CARE FOR!!!
angst, no ow drama & yes to om drama (the bad guys), no cheating, secondary charas, drama, Sexy times, No virgins no manwhore (he had subs but it wasnt sexual he never touched a sub in that way he just helped them cope with their Truma what happened to them and sent them to have a good life. )
Recommend- yes Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prologue Slowish-insta Push away from h Second chance Bdsmish Dom/sub Older/younger couple 3 years apart 28H/25h Mentions mental illness Mentions of sexual assault Suicidal thoughts Panic attacks No condom Safe-ish (from cheating) Anxiety Abused Hea Epilogue
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
So my version of this is called “Untamed Desires” and there certainly aren’t many of those. Very low steam - one love scene that lasts about two pages. I could deal with that, if the rest of the book was compelling. As my rating might hint, that’s not the case.
One star off for grammar. Words are used that don’t come close to what the author means, typos pop up more than a little, and entire sentences and segments are repeated with just a word or two changed. Once an entire conversational paragraph was said twice, with very few changes! And by very few, I mean the dialogue stays exactly the same with maybe three words changed.
One star off for rushing and inconsistencies. Lots of time jumps that glossed over character development, and scenarios that don’t make sense. How did Mr. Perfect find her in New York, the city of millions? We’re supposed to believe he just wandered in from Chicago and stumbled across his runaway in a mall, the first time she goes out? How did he get her brand new phone number that only four people had? And she has two bodyguards and - presumably - guards at the door to the club, but he just waltzes in with the help of a random employee? It makes no sense.
And finally, one star off for a glossed over attempted suicide very late in the book. We’re talking the 91% mark. That’s something that should be handled delicately, with a lot of healing. But what happens? He pulls her off the ledge, spanks her and tells her she’s his submissive now and suddenly she’s HEALED! No more risk of suicide, no problems with her mental health, she is now a completely different character who can laugh and tease and overpower a man set on killing her. Honestly, it’s lucky I didn’t lower my rating to one star for this alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This story begins disturbingly enough, but before I am even half way through, my heart, my mind and my emotions are tied up in knots trying to comprehend the evil that can be done to people and the methods these abused individuals create to escape and tamp down their feelings. It is absolutely heart wrenching!
Rose is a broken, unwanted foster child. Her heart is filled with sadness, grief and loneliness. One young man, Matty, befriends and protects her. Unfortunately, Matthew turns 18 and is forced to leave. Before he can get back with a new social worker to rescue her, the whole family disappears.
Ten years later, Rose has signed a six month contract with a demented sadist. After fulfilling her painful duties, she will be given a new identity and be finally “free”. Damon brings her to a BDSM club and beats her so severely; she must be saved by the club owner Matthew Bennet.
I am going to give no further information on this story. If I were as talented as this author, my words might bring you into the terror and panic of a deeply abused young woman fighting for her sanity and her ability to love, but I am not so capable. Please immerse yourself into this incredible story. Only then will you be able to comprehend the trauma and fight for survival that this young woman (and many like her) are forced to endure. This is an amazing story---from beginning to end!
I liked this book, but I was also kind of disappointed. I thought there was so much more that could have been done.
I have a few books with this theme, where the main female character was abused/raped and she turns to BDSM to heal, and I expected this book to be the same. There’s heavy emphasis on Rose’s past and the trauma that she’s been through (there are repeated rape scenes that are described in a fair amount of detail throughout the book). The “darkness” was the majority of this book. There’s a lot of crying, hashing and rehashing of emotional issues, and overall sadness. Considering how the whole point of the book was that Rose was “broken” and Matthew was trying to “fix” her, there was very little “fixing”. It was actually quite frustrating to read this book at times. Rose was dealing with severe mental trauma and she couldn’t deal with it. She wouldn’t take medication because it made her feel numb, she wouldn’t speak to a psychiatrist because she didn’t want to open up her wounds, and Matthew couldn’t help her with BDSM because he was afraid of doing more harm than good. It was just page after page of Rose struggle with her issues. This is a heavy subject and I didn’t think the author did it justice, simply because there was so much focus on the darkness and very little on the healing.
There wasn’t a whole lot of BDSM in the book. In fact Rose and Matthew are very vanilla. They don’t even have sex until 88% into the book, and when they do, it’s BDSM lite (just some rough sex and mild spanking). The books that I’ve read so far that tackle this subject, there’s usually a lot of emphasis on how BDSM and giving up control allows the sub to heal. Matthew and Rose get there at the 91% in the book, when Matthew finally takes control, but by then it was too late. She gets one hard spanking and all of sudden everything is honky dorey, despite the fact that she tried to kill herself right before said spanking? It felt inauthentic. In comparison to the other books that I’ve read with this same theme (Breaking Free, To Command and Collar, This Is Who I Am, and Nobody’s Perfect, just to name a few) this book didn’t measure up.
Aside from those issues, there was little to no information about Matthew. It pretty much just says that he left foster care, looked for Rose, fought in underground fighting rings, started a BDSM club and Bob’s your uncle! I needed more on Matty! The ending of the book could have used a lot more work. It felt so very VERY rushed. A few more chapters would have helped greatly.
Overall, I think this was a good book, but could have used more work.
Unforgettable is a book that is brilliantly written. Rory brings a twist to a story that I could not put down. You will want to add this book to your to be read list if you haven't already! You have to know why Rose would put herself in the position she does when Matty comes in and saves her at his BDSM club.
Matty has known Rose since they were children. But had lost her when he aged out of the foster care system. When Matty went back to get her the whole family was gone. Years later Rose finds herself in Matty's club but has no real memory of him.
This love story is twisted, sexy, hard to read at times, and shows a seedy side of what can happen in the foster care system if the wrong person is in charge of placing kids.
This story has many triggers for those who have suffered severe sexual assaults and resulting severe anxiety, depression and panic attacks. It also covers suicidal thoughts and one quasi attempt so if you think these will upset you don’t read it. It gives a very good, realistic depictions of these subjects because other than sexual assault I have suffered from these mental health issues. However it is a wonderful story of a love between Rose, a girl with a haunted past, and Matthew, a man who never stopped searching for her and never let his love die. It is a very rewarding love story to read. I would have given it five stars except for some silly errors and continuity issues.
Rose knows darkness; even as a child she watched her mother move in and out of the darkness of a drug addiction that eventually lured her into the darkness of death. Swept by the darkness into the foster system, Rose moved from one setting of loveless darkness to another, until she discovered light in the Matty, a fellow foster child who helped her know that she is a child of the light through his protection, his concern, and his love. But when Matty aged out of the foster home, she was left alone once more, desperately fighting the darkness where human monsters dwell in the guises of individuals who are paid to protect the weak.
Unforgettable is the tale of children who become adults, not guided by love and light, but stunted by the darkness of the absence of love and light. Matty is the beacon of light remembered in the darkness of her world of sexual, physical and psychological abuse. And when she finally escapes the darkness only to be lured into greater abuse in a relationship of abuse and dominance, she miraculously stumbles into Matty’s world of light
Rory Reynolds has helped her readers explore the worlds of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, submission and domination and the BDSM clubs. But this time in this very dark romance, Reynolds pushes the reader fully into the head, heart, and body of a victim who desperately wants to be a survivor; Rose wants to escape the darkness and to face the world as a strong, healthy and happy woman held in the arms of the man whom she loves and who loves her. The story of Rose and Matty is a love story that remains true and strong, always seeking the light of love. This dark romance is not a quick, fluffy love story. It is a story of strong enduring love and the determination to seek a path of light and love. This is the first book in a series (each can be read alone) which follows 3 strong men, doms, who seek to love and heal the girl of each man's heart, regardless of the sacrifice.
I read and review this book as a part of an ARC group.
I would have rated this a lot higher if there was an ending. Can’t believe it just finished 😡
I’m so annoyed right now. I ignored the mistakes, there’s lots of them, spelling and plot mistakes. It’s depressing and drags at times, but I hung in there, as it was really good. Till it ends and NOTHING IS RESOLVED!!! Aaaargh!!! I actually thought it was going to be in two books as there’s still so much left unresolved, but no it just finished! 😡😡😡😡 It felt like it was halfway through the book.
The book begins ten years ago when Rose is taken to a new foster carers. The Grants are evil people who beat and punish their foster children over the slightest thing. While Rose is there she meets Mathew/Mattie who is slightly older than her and they fall in love. When Mathew tries to get her out of the Grants house after he’s aged out, he finds out that they’ve disappeared, taking his Rose with them. Fast forward to ten years later and Rose is in Mathew’s Bdsm club. Mathew rescues her from her ‘master,’ and she goes to live with him.
This is where it gets really dark and depressing. Rose has been used as a whore for clients who liked torturing her, and she has frequent nightmares and flashbacks to this time, and it’s horrific to put it mildly. The whole book is about Mathew trying so hard to help his Rose, and she’s so traumatised that even tiny little things set off flashbacks.
Meanwhile one of her ‘clients,’ is desperate to own her and she’s in danger from Mr Grant. So the book ends with Rose still in danger, and still suffering from ptsd. I literally turned the page over and everyone is happy and Rose is pregnant. PREGNANT!! Does this author seriously believe it’s a good idea to write Rose as a mother when she can’t live a normal life without severe flashbacks, and panic attacks.
Unbelievably Heartbreaking but beautiful love story!
This story was absolutely amazing from start to finish. It made me laugh and it definitely made me cry. It took me on one intense emotional rollercoaster ride. At times it ripped my heart out and stomped on it but then gently mended it back together again. I did not want this story to end!
Rose is this very sweet young woman who is broken beyond repair by her horrible foster family. She is trying so hard to make her life better even though she is filled with anxiety, sadness, grief and loneliness. The one person who she loves and trusts disappears from her life at a time when she needs him the most. For me, Rose was like a phoenix rising from the ashes of her dark and depraved life.
Matthew is a very strong alpha male who is trying to find the one light in his life, Rose. Their souls have been calling out for each other as they are not whole without their other half. Will he find her and will he be able to save her? Their story is gut wrenching, heartbreaking but also filled with immense love and passion! They both show strength and resiliency when faced with adversity and the unknown.
This is the first book I have read by this author and it has blown me away! This story is incredible and so well written that I could feel the emotions of the characters oozing off the pages. Her words are like magic in their imagery and intense feelings they invoke. I can't wait to read more from this phenomenal author. Highly recommend.
AN EMOTIONALLY DEEP EXPERIENCE!!! Holy Hell! Rory unleashes the horror, raising the stakes, tapping every emotion with such acumen, proclivity and desire, ramping up this nailbiting storyline and gripping plot, melding this baby together piece by piece. Unveiling the drama, intrigue, turmoil, misgivings, torment and mounting suspense spirals, keeping you riveted on a razors edge. Toss in distress, abuse and nerve racking situations along with a boatload of escapades while dodging disaster, you have one block busting adventure. Observing the instant realization and charged atmosphere, shocking twists, stunning turns and crisp lines, tempting our characters in ways they never imagined. Showcasing intense, well rounded scenario's, revving up the exuberance and wiping out the challenges, with such intensity and precision, blasting this little fella into a tailspin with a stupefying, mind-blowing culmination. The characters are authentic and realistic with depth and qualities that transform into outstanding personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and descriptions creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Fantastic job Rory, thanks for sharing this bad boy with us.
Rose has been through the foster care system with no love to be had from her numerous homes. The last home she has gives her Matty, a fellow foster sibling that is very close to turning 18 which means he must leave her alone. Life is very hard but gets much worse once Matty is gone. Although Matty promised to take her away as soon as he could, by the time he can finally try, Rose is gone. The foster father, "Mr. Perfect" has made Rose his prisoner and a sex worker until she makes a 6 month contract with a vicious sadist. After being beaten horribly, Rose is taken away from her owner and healed, physically at least, but the life she has been forced to live, left deep scars, both physical and emotional. Her savior must now do whatever possible to now help heal all Rose's wounds and help her remember there are still some good people that truely care. This is a dark story, there are probably triggers for some, so take those warnings seriously. I loved the story and Matthew's care of Rose, along with his trusted friends that do all they can to help Rose recover after what life has dealt her. The HEA is hard won and so well deserved.
Romance trope: bdsm; overcoming trauma Series: Black Rose Doms Length: 259 pages
Plot: When Rose was in foster care, Matthew was the only person she could count on. But when he aged out, her abusive foster parents moved their whole household before he could do anything about it. Rose found herself in a sex trafficking ring, raped and abused every night. She escapes but is still in danger - until Matthew finds her again. He has a lot of work ahead of him, though, to help her heal, and there is still danger coming at her.
Commentary: I have only read shorter stories from thus author, mostly Daddy-kink and a few instalove-type stories. This was definitely not that, so just be warned that this is a lot darker than what you might have read from her before. Still, I enjoyed this story. Poor Rosie. I did feel like she probably needed a lot more time to heal. The doctor got on my nerves - she was the living embodiment of "read the room!" And I dislike the trope of the man using bdsm to heal the heroine from severe sexual trauma. I've never been in that situation, but it just doesn't feel like it could happen, especially that early in the healing process. But maybe I'm wrong. It just always feels like a plot device to introduce bdsm to the story. But I did like the story and I want to find out about the other two guys as well.
This is the first book I've read by Rory Reynolds and certainly won't be the last. There was so much to like about this book. Mathew and Rose met in the foster care home of 2 opportunists. He ages out and her abuse by her foster, Mr Perfect, grows worse and worse, and then they disappear. Mathew and his friends have been looking for her for years and when she is finally found, she thinks her protector "Matty" from her childhood was just imaginary. He knows instantly she's his "Rosie". The story moves on with Rose remembering him, her trying to deal with the horrific abuse suffered at the hands of Mr Perfect, and them building their relationship. There were times the story bogged down for me ( to much of Rose being in her head), but it was a solid read. I cant wait for Hannah and Slate's story due out in March 2020. I love that this book and other books by Ms. Reynolds are free to read with your KU Subscription. I've got some new TBR books!
This book is amazing. It's almost perfect, there are some things that I would like to change but this is still one of the best.
First part of the book, I was speechless. He takes care of her in every possible way, all details described. Perfection really. Author is very talented.
Spoilers:
However I wanted more communication between them, I wanted that first date so bad but there are a lot of things in the plot. It's ok but I wanted more "peace moments". Then whole mental thing, it's explained perfectly and I really understand why D/s relationship is only way to handle that, but again I wanted more, more communication and knowing each other after all separated years. And first sex could be more explained better, I don' t know what exactly, but something is missing. I think this second part of the book is somehow rushed. But still this is huge 5 stars for me. After all, I wanted more D/s scenes and more of this couple. And more books in this series please!
This was a great story. I couldn't put it down. I was caught up in the story from the first page and couldn't wait to see what happened next for Matthew and Rose.
Rose and Matthew knew each other when they were in the same foster home. It was a horrible place and before Matthew could save her, the foster family and the foster kids disappear. He never gave up looking for her though. He never imagine that she would show up in his club and in need of rescuing. Rose has had a rough time. She has a dark past that she never wanted to come to light. She was trying to escape it. She only feels safe within Matthew's arms even if she doesn't remember him at first. Matthew will do whatever it takes to keep her safe and love her. He isn't going to let her go again. Will they be able to overcome the past to find happiness together?
I received an ARC from the author/publisher for an honest review.
(‼️ disclaimer‼️ This book has a lot of heavy topics that are discussed within. please, please look up the trigger warnings before picking this one up)
This was such a fast read for me that I ate up every single word. There’s so much that happens from beginning to the end, but honestly, the author did an amazing job with the representation for both the fmc and mmc (past trauma wise) and how they move forward as adults healing together to create a better future together. Ngl this put me through the feels in parts while reading this book and helped heal a piece of myself without even realizing it.
This is a minimal to low spice, but I love and appreciate that especially with what the fmc went through it was refreshing finally seeing a realistic like version of the aftermath in this story. I do however wished we’ve gotten roses or mattews pov for the epilogue but I do understand why the author wrote it in Hannah’s pov it’s the perfect setup for book 2 😌
This book covers it all a takes you on one wild ride of emotions. The characters have one fantastic backstory, children in the system taken in for nefarious purposes by the family from hell, two of those children try to protect each other but in the end fail, years later he finds her in of all places his club being abused. The young woman of the story is strong but she suffers from PTSD due to her unfortunate circumstances. This book takes you to the darker side of sex trafficking but in the end allows the young woman to succeed and blossom falling in love whit the man of her dreams all over again, and he gives her what she needs to save herself in the end. Well worth your time to read, I couldn't put it down, can't wait to read the next installment of this series.
Very good romance with well written characters and exploring a vitally important topic, namely human trafficking and sexual slavery. Rose is the victim of the foster care system at its worst. After her mother dies of a drug overdose, she enters the foster care of an abusive couple. Matty is in the same home but nearly 18 so he ages out. He tries to rescue Rose with no luck. Ten years later he finds her being brutally beaten in his own BDSM club. He is desperate to help her recover from the trauma she has endured. The characters are wonderfully engaging and the story is phenomenal. Lots of background which some readers may have a difficult time dealing with. I found it extremely informative and highly recommend it.
Unforgettable was highly entertaining and emotional story. Rose and Matthew were in foster care together living with Mr. And Mrs. Perfect. Not! Mathew aged out and had to leave Rose behind. Vowing to come back for her. When he finally found someone to help, they had disappeared. OMG! Poor Rose. The hell she went through hurt my heart. But she was strong and resilient. Let me tell you, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and drop it did. While reading the book, the title makes perfect sense. This was a great read with well developed and engaging characters. I'm looking forward to Hannah's story next. She needs her HEA!
Left me gasping for breath at times. Please be aware that this book contains disturbing events that can be triggers for some. However, I highly recommend it and couldn’t put it down once I started. It is well-written and will transport you into the pages until you feel part of the story. It is a romance that transcends events that would break many and highlights the strength that comes from two people who refuse to let life’s challenges define them and learn that together nothing is impossible. The author creates a cast of supporting characters that you come to care for as well and want to know what the future holds. Can’t wait for the next book in this series.
This is my first from this author and it will definitely not be my last! Unforgettable was an absolutely fantastic story. I could not put it down. The utter heartbreaking and tragic events that Rose has endured was difficult to read at times because the emotions I felt reading it were so strong. Matthew’s never ending perseverance and love for Rose was astounding and made he love him that much more. The combination of Rose’s tormentors and Matthew’s determination to keep her safe kept me turning the pages. This is a must read! And I cannot wait for Hannah and Slade’s story next!
Rose has been thought so much trauma in her life to escape she signs herself over to a Dom but he is another abuser not a real Dom. When he abuses her in public she is taken away from him by the club's owner. Matthew owns the club but he is also the boy who fell in love with Rose when they were in a horrible foster care situation. He has been looking for her for 10 years. Now that he has her he has to help her get herself back and deal with the evil which is still trying to take her back.
While reading this book, it took my breath away at all the things that happened to Rose! I empathized with her, while it was triggering for me; I still teared up at all she went through! My heart raced, because I know. I knew how she felt and I understood her but not to the full extent! Best of all, she got her happily ever after, despite all of that. That was exactly what she needed! Rory really puts you through it with her story telling. Her writing is excellent!
I was reluctant to pick this up even though it was written by one of my favorite authors because the topic is so dark. In the end, I read it anyway because (again) favorite author. Rory Reynolds handles the topic very well, there are many snippets to love reading. My favorites are Slade's term of endearment for Rose, and this quote: Not only did it zap away the negative emotions, but it has sucked the life out of the good, too. Truer words were never spoken. Can't wait for Hannah's story!!
I liked Matthew and Rose's chemistry, but the story seemed to drag a bit. I enjoyed seeing Rose's transformation, but felt that it was a little difficult to keep up with at times. I also wasn't sure if "domming" the mental illness out of someone was a great thing to advertise, but this book is fiction and I am interested in Slade and Hannah's story.
I couldn’t put the book away. I finished it in one night. The story catches you and keeps you captured until the end. You don’t want it to end because not because of the dark side but because of the light you can see to shine through now and then And you need to know if the light wins. Thank you Rory Reynolds for this magnificent read. I can’t wait to read Hannah’s story
This author is new to me but I really enjoyed this book. She hit on some things that are real.sex trafficking,abuse just to name a few.There is a lot of things that happens to women that is never talked about. So I as a woman am glad the author touch on this. HAPPY READING EVERYONE.