MARIE: It’s been six years since I got my baby brother and sister out of the hellhole of abuse we grew up in. Six years spent looking over my shoulder, wondering if we’d ever truly escape our father’s wrath. Everything I did back then, I did to keep them alive. And now that a violent criminal from our past has found us, I’m forced again to use the skills I never asked to be good at. It’s bad enough I end up getting caught in the crime by a man as ruthless as my sister’s captor. But needing—and wanting—to trust him? That’s completely unchartered territory for me.
LUKE: It’s been a while since I’ve caught someone stealing from me—I’m just not the kind of man people make that mistake with often. Hell, if I’d been able to take my eyes off of her that night, she would’ve gotten away with it, too; she’s that good. And yeah, this mess she’s in is bad enough I don’t fault her actions. Still, letting her go is out of the question. I know she thinks I’m as dangerous as they come, and in some ways I am. Given how protective I’m starting to feel about her, dangerous doesn’t even begin to describe the lengths I’ll go to keep her safe.
The SAVAGE TRUST Series Wrecked (Luke & Marie) Scarred (Mikhael & Alina) Frayed (Kane & Daniella)
Previously published as House Rules (c) 2014, revised throughout with newly added content, new characters, and a different extended ending.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Christa Wick has been hybrid publishing since 2012 (yep, she's one of the O.G. indie authors). She's written 50+ romances starring curvalicious heroines and alphalicious heroes whose stories span the spectrum of: steamy & sweet, steamy & emotional, steamy & suspenseful, steamy & paranormal, steamy & dark, and...well, you get the idea. Her darker, dirtier books are under C.M. Wick, and she also writes general fiction sci-fi thrillers and suspense novels under other pen names.
This was just purely awful. Bad writing, I disliked the characyso thoroughly for their stupidity that I dnf'd at 15%. I wanted to like this but it's poorly edited, poorly written, and the main female character was just ugh. Huge pass. No thank you. 1 ⭐.
DNF 19% OMG are you freaking kidding me. You are scared for your brother and sister's life after being on the run for 6 years. So you don't have your brother being cautions about anything and let your sister fuck who ever she wants till she ends up with a bad crowd and is kidnapped and being held for ransom. So you rely on your old skills as a con artist and count cards to raise the money for your sister then you get caught by the owner ( gasps). when your racking 7 gs up in a casino someone will notice.
Then this is where you get stupid to me anyway. After being caught you find out that he's hot so you decide to mind fuck him, turns out that he ends up giving you the money in exchange for your plump body cause this is his type. ( they like telling you she's plump in every few sentences. Eye Roll) So after giving you the money that you think you can just run away without consequences.
He dangles the string before letting you walk away scot free. He freaking kidnapped and beat up your brother who you left in the house alone while there was danger. You run away to give the ransom money to get your sister back who you think might not be alive anyway but you stupidly hand over the money with out trying to demand proof of life. But they still want you to come back with more money anyway and you agree. So when all is said and gone you decide to go to a diner and sit for awhile instead of heading back to your injured brother who you called your favorite. But you have time to think dirty blow job thoughts about the man who kidnapped and beat your brother. (face palm) I have no idea what happens after this and I don't plan to find out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
For the last six years, Marie has been doing whatever she must to keep her father away from her and her brother and sister and keeping them all alive. When her sister is taken Marie is forced to steal money from a casino. When she is caught by Luke sparks fly between them, will he help her save her sister? Fast-paced read with an entertaining, intense story. The chemistry is steamy and I really liked the twists and turns.
Inconsistent character psychology and behaviour. Also the story moved at what felt like a breakneck speed with no concept of timeline. Also back stories were sketchy at best and felt like they should have come earlier and in smaller more frequent bursts in a more subtle way, because you basically got info-dumped 3-5 seperate times with bits and pieces that made the backstories seem like they were tacked on later. The whole thing felt like a badly written Wattpad story.
This is a really great plot that has plenty of twists and turns that held my attention. Marie has a lot of baggage to work through but the chemistry between her and Luke isn’t easy for them to ignore. A strong female character and an even stronger male character makes this story a wonderful read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
First time hating a Christa Wick book. Simply put the book is a clusterfuck festival and to think i loved the 2 other books in the series. The writing is mediocre,the story inconsistent and all over the place and characters stool samples!
The story was good, but the grammar was distracting. Major issues with word choices and lacking decent editing. If those issues are fixed then it would be much better.
This is a deeply nuanced, multi level, addictive book to read! It starts off with a con, a kidnapping, and tons of sexual tension. Marie is strong, but damaged, and although she's a con artist, she has no self-confidence. Luke is the strong, silent type, but he goes after her hard. I loved the emotional depth of the story, the way the story details how family can eat you up and spit you out. I loved the connections that Marie was able to make and how she's always willing to save everyone but herself. This book was hot. The scenes were so intimately described that I kind of felt like I was there. It's an intense read whose story will stay with you for awhile.
Oh where to begin. This book has a lot one can love. Suspense, thrills, anger, deception, LOVE. Marie goes into her old life she was running from to save her sister. When she's caught and an opportunity is laird out in front of her the skeptical Marie accepts with reserve. Luke can't keep.his eyes or hands off Marie. He curves are his weakness and her safety is his ONLY goal... so he says... Luke trys to help her but has a stipulation. She gives him 30 days of complete submission and he'll help fix her dangerous situation. Thus give a you ALL kinds of emotions and you will get caught up in each character.
For as short of read this was, I thought it was really well done. Heat level was pretty high and it was insta-lust, but the emotions between the Marie and Luke were clearly present. I think the latter was what made this a really enjoyable read for me. Marie was a solid character endured a lot of hardship because of her family, but was so protective of her brother. Luke was alpha AF, but not an a-hole so he was easily likable too. Mikhael's story is next and I definitely want to read his story as he made quite an impression in here.
Definitely recommend if you're looking for a hot but well done short story.
Marie is caught cheating in Luke's casino, but she's doing it to rescue her sister. Luke decides to help her and the cost is Marie for 30 days. She's not confident in herself and can't believe his offer is real. As he helps her fix the problem with her sister he builds her confidence.
Now she has to figure out what is going to happen after the 30 days are up.
Romantic suspense. From abusive father to best con player to her first and only love. She try to survive on legit job but web of suspense put her on other path. Will Luke help her to get some self esteem or will she always question him ? The storyline is intriguing and keeping on the edge from first page.
This book had me hooked from the first page, and while I was able to predict what was going to happen, that did not make it less interesting for me. And, yes, I did shed a few tears for Luke and Marie; both of them feeling unsure about how the other person felt toward them. In the end, they get their HEA, and it's beautiful.
Luke spots a cheat in his casino and discover her identity. Marie Lafayette. Marie is running and has all sorts of people looking for her. Luke will be her knight and protect her.
I loved these characters! There interplay was riveting. I enjoyed this book.
Loved every minute that I spent reading this book. Like wow. Truly enjoyed it. The chemistry was off the charts hot. It was suspenseful and steamy at the same time. It’s hard to explain lol but I recommend reading it
I was interested in the description but Luke is anything but a savior and I'm not into women basically being coerced into sex for help. He took advantage of her fucked up situation and used it to get what he wanted out of her. I'm also friggen tired of women being portrayed as mindless, sex starved things with absolutely no self worth or control over their bodies just because they see a good looking man. It's only made worse when the woman is curvy/plus size because apparently good looking guys will never give them a second glance so this one guy who does makes them fall apart completely.
I couldn't bring myself to finish this book and I'm hoping the rest of her books that I have aren't the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I thought the book started off really well, but the FMC kept getting progressively more annoying. I can’t figure out if this was a mafia romance or suspense romance. Just too confusing. The steam was fire though.
Christa Wicks books rock!! This is an action packed roller coaster of a story. Wonderful characters, some of them you’ll love and not like a few! Great job with lots of feels!
The storyline has bondage, kidnapping and extortion so is not for a person looking for a sweet story. But is is a hea and a quick page turner of a book.