Given

The Dark Sect #1

by Piper Stone

I didn't ask her to be my bride. It wasn't up to her. She has always been mine.

Stephanie Michaelson was given to me, and she is mine. The sooner she learns that, the less often her cute little bottom will end up well-punished and sore as she is reminded of her place.

But even as she promises obedience with tears running down her cheeks, I know it isn't the sting of my belt that will truly tame her. It is what comes next that will leave her in no doubt she belongs to me. That part will be long, hard, and shameful... and I will make her beg for all of it.

Publisher's Note: Given includes spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.

Genres: Romance, BDSM, Dark, Mafia Romance, Dark Romance, Erotica

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 19, 2020

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm

I absolutely LOVE Piper Stone but...
This book... It took me a while to read as I kept putting it down - it didn't capture me as Her books usually do.
Christian, the H, calls himself a beast but there really is no show of his beast
Stephanie is the h and she blames him for everything when she really knows it's not his fault
The book is also very repetitive... I'm a bit disappointed

[Cora lee loy-olazabal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given is a true love story.

I really enjoyed meeting the two star crossed lovers. Their world is a little different than mine, but it was exciting to visit. Take a trip to this story and see what you think.

[Mandy Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The characters are likeable for different reasons. The leading lady is a sweet woman that you want to protect and the Hero is an Alpha that you want to slap just so you get punished!! Thomas gives yet another fantastic performance.

[Emma Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn’t keep my focus kept putting it down and going back to it

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is intriguing. I could not stop listening to this. The suspense in here is sooo good! I never got it! Which makes me love this even more. The story flows along nicely and easily kept my interest. Of course I love the whole mafia-like family drama. The characters are secretive which drew me too them. Christian and Stephanie have quite the history and story together. As they are finding their way a lot is happening in the background. I loved it! This story has it all! Betrayal, steamy sexiness, secrets, power and above all else love of family. I did listen to this on audio. Thomas Locklear did an excellent job. He has that perfect gruff and domineering voice to be Christian as well as the other men.

[Musi ✨Vegacrux’s first child✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

unexpected 5 stars are the BEST.

[Cheyenne Mcdonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just wasn’t that good in my opinion. I don’t really plan to finish the series.

[Bette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story & Audible Listen🎧 Thrilling Romantic Suspense!
Given
A Dark Mafia Romance
By: Piper Stone
Narrated by: Thomas Locklear

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is well written with interesting storylines that are captivating from start to end. Piper Stone is a master at writing dark mafia romance novels, I found this story to be original, not your typical mafia romance. There is great character development and world building. The mafia in this book is a “Sacred Sect”, a secret society who live by their own rules and is run by five powerful families. They hold and control power over several industries and only the most elite are invited in. The five families are core and the first born male is expected to step into his father’s shoes take over for him. Christian is the eldest Cappodano and next in line but his brother Matteo is probably the better choice since he is more of a yes man. Christian knows there is no way out of his obligation, only death. Stephanie Michaelson, the daughter of another ruling family, she is back in the Hamptoms to learn her faith, which was determined just after birth. The Michaelson’s and Cappodano’s are enemies, so when Stephanie reads that she is to be married to Christian the families are upset as much as she is, she really wanted no part of any of it but had not choice. She and Christian have history, he was her savior at one time, rescued her from a near death situation. They set off on their honeymoon but their life is in jeopardy because they have a target on their back. But why, who is behind it, who is betraying them? There is never a dull moment in this book, it is cleverly plotted with plenty of drama, angst, mystery, thrilling suspense, some heartfelt moments as well as hot romance. Piper Stone, thank you for another great story and the thrilling and emotional rollercoaster ride.

I listened to the Audible edition, Thomas Locklear is a talented narrator and a versatile voice artist. He does an awesome job portraying the characters, bringing them to life, humanizing them giving them their own distinct voice and personality. He is exceptional at covering both male and female characters, switches roles back and forth with ease, never missing a beat. You could hear how much heart he puts into his work as he captures the characters emotions and projects them into his performance. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another great listen🎧

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read/listen. I adore the vocal tone used for Christian, omg, rough and dominant just like the character! Really good storyline a bit hard to follow in the beginning but quickly captivates with twists that will have you on the edge of your seat. Character chemistry is off the charts hot. A great sizzling read with a darkness you can't help but love!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
*this review is based on the audio version of this read.

[Priscilla Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Safe at all cost

I read this with an idea of who I thought was behind every thing, then there was someone else hinted. actually there were lots of people hinted. The rollercoaster of events was great to read. I really enjoy characters that are no nonsense but also capable of being more with their love. The back story between the two main characters made the story seem more real.

[Margarette Dibble · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ Star's

I would recommend this book to mature readers that enjoy reading stories that are at times laugh out loud funny, hot and steamy, suspenseful, and romantic with strong characters both male and female.

[Biggs_bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series out of order. They are standalone but go in a timeline order. Reading the second one first didn’t ruin any of the story really but I did know details I wouldn’t have known if I had read them in order. Over all I actually enjoyed this one so much more the second one. Really my biggest complaint is the very similar beginnings with a big even, a woman who didn’t know everything and a public punishment. Once we got past that though I enjoyed it. It was a good mix of dom/sub, bad guys and love story. It’s spicy and explicit in some parts so if that’s bot your thing then I would pass. If it is grab a fan and dive in. I luuuvvvvvv this narrator. He is phenomenal and adds so much to this story. He’s voices, sounds and range truly blows me away. If I didn’t know there weren’t dual narrators i would honestly bot believe it was all one person. He is consistent in voices in both books and there is no question who’s speaking.

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you love a bad boy that refuses to adhere to the strict rules set in front of him when he knows they're wrong? Well, if so, you've got to read "Given." This is predominantly the story about Christian and Stephanie but there is so, so much more. There is wealth, pomp, and circumstance. I was caught up in the assassination attempts and implied mafia connections. And where does the priest come into play? So many secrets. So many lies. So many questions. Family vs. family. Brother vs. brother. This is a powerful read that was thrilling in the telling.

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of dark mafia romances/erotica and I really wanted to like this novel, I really tried, but I couldn't get into the novel. The story had a lot of potential, the story that was there. Unfortunately there was too much smut. There needs to be a balance between the smut and story. Everything was under developed for my taste. Therefore unbelievable and non-immersive.
*Side Note- there's some BDSM in the novel*

[KRISTY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly Good

There are lots of twists. It was a little confusing in the beginning with a religious sect and how it played into the arrangement of marriage matches between families. But, it turns into a book of secrets and deception. Murder attempts and betrayal. The is a heated attraction laced with anger. I was disappointed in all of their intimate encounters, absolutely no showing of affection only brutality, which she loved? Give me a break. The ending was VERY SATISFYING.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW !!

This is a terrific book. Piper has written in her usual highly readable style and definitely qualifies as 'hot', or, more accurately 'hottest'. I literally read it straight thru from start to finish without pause. Both Christian and Stephanie are interesting characters with a few quirks that make them feel quite real.

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

[lf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could not get into the story

I am not going to lie as I did find Given to be a muddled story that I could not get into. I ended up skimming over chunks of the book to get the the ending. Overall I was just disappointed by Given.

I received a copy of this book for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.

[Lorraine Hay Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy a dark mafia romance and a thoughtfully written sub/dom relationship, but didn’t enjoy this book. If started out okay as the premise of the secret sect was unique; but the relationship between the hero and heroine was stilted and didn’t progress to a more loving dynamic physically. Sex scenes were redundant.

[Fiordiligii · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ermmm no. This is about a religious wannabe mafia sect and already I‘m rolling my eyes. When the hero needs to discipline the heroine (aka giving her a spanking) I‘m out. I’ve been reading romance and smut for about 20 years and if there’s one thing I learned it’s to not finish a book you don’t like, find silly or bores you. DNF

[shannonbookishlife · Rating 4 out of 5]

my first book by Piper Stone, and was blown away by the in-depth story that unfolded. full of twists and turns. i was gripped from page one. Well paced and written, with great descriptive scenes and great characters. A dom/sub romance filled with steamy action! highly recommended readin

[Jess Bracewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow!

This book was so good! The suspense in this book made me not want to put it down. There was a surprise around every corner! And don't get me started on the sexy scenes. They were 🔥! I would give this book 10 stars if i could!

[Terri West · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay but nothing special, it was grey rather than dark. Some of the narrative was predictive and repetitive, not too mention it needs a good proof read.
Okay as a filler but not really much to get your teeth in.

[Hazel]

Utter rubbish. I didn't finish reading it, I couldn't even get through the firat chapter, so I won't rate it but I would give what I did read 1 star. This shit was painful man and weird. Why would someones pov talk like that and like that in regard to themselves.

[Kayla Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. I wasn't really able to get captured and it didnt hold my attention for very long. I did enjoy the backstory of H and h's relationship.

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 6hours

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I struggled to start this story. I had the audio book so I was listening while I went about my daily tasks THEN, OMG, I was hooked. Amazing story so well told. Recommended

[Wendy]

I only got about 45 minutes into the audiobook and absolutely hated it.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but I felt like there were not enough sex scenes and way to much filler speech. Glad I read it but wouldn't again.

[Autumnbabe · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.25 STARS

[Kay Folks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little bit hard to follow in places, probably should have given up.