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Torment
Revenge is sweet, but she may be even sweeter.
Immortals never forget and for Cassius James, the sins against him and the ones he loves have left him bitter and broken. Some would even say heartless. Hellbent on making his enemies pay for their wrongdoings, Cassius seeks to steal something precious. He never expected that precious thing to be a woman.
Gemma has been passed from one obsessive master to another her whole life. As a rare Nephilim, her blood is like a drug to most vampires. Even the smallest traces of angel lineage can drive a bloodsucker insane with need. When a leather-clad lord shows up to steal her away from her latest master, she expects nothing more than the same routine. A cage and false promises. But Cassius isn't after her blood at all. He wants nothing more than to hurt her former master and he's intent on using her to do it.
Cassius has no need or want for a little innocent, even if her blood is special. She was just supposed to be a means to an end, but one taste of her sends his world spiraling. He was meant to be her torment and yet her presence has infected him.
**This is a story of darker desires and explores themes of dub-con.
Immortals never forget and for Cassius James, the sins against him and the ones he loves have left him bitter and broken. Some would even say heartless. Hellbent on making his enemies pay for their wrongdoings, Cassius seeks to steal something precious. He never expected that precious thing to be a woman.
Gemma has been passed from one obsessive master to another her whole life. As a rare Nephilim, her blood is like a drug to most vampires. Even the smallest traces of angel lineage can drive a bloodsucker insane with need. When a leather-clad lord shows up to steal her away from her latest master, she expects nothing more than the same routine. A cage and false promises. But Cassius isn't after her blood at all. He wants nothing more than to hurt her former master and he's intent on using her to do it.
Cassius has no need or want for a little innocent, even if her blood is special. She was just supposed to be a means to an end, but one taste of her sends his world spiraling. He was meant to be her torment and yet her presence has infected him.
**This is a story of darker desires and explores themes of dub-con.
130 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2021
29 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Courtney Leigh
29 books74 followersI was born on a teeny tiny island in the middle of the ocean to two amazing and adventurous parents. When we moved to the mainland, I was raised on an ostrich ranch in rural Arizona where learned about hard work and responsibility. I attribute my determination to my upbringing and loved the adventures of my younger years. Myself and my siblings schooled in the city, a one hour commute each way.
I majored in theatre then immediately moved on to college when I was 17 pursuing fashion and costume design. I graduated during the recession and couldn't find work, so depression got me until I found the cosplay community and opened up again with both a social life and a creative drive.
Through ALL of this, I was writing in my spare time. From the moment I could draw really sloppy letters on a page, I was creating stories and it became something I did to relieve stress and cope with life changes. At 17, I finished my first novel at 160,000 words (it since got lost in many crashed computers and moves) But since then I have been writing like a mad woman and finally published in 2019. I have no plans of stopping.
I majored in theatre then immediately moved on to college when I was 17 pursuing fashion and costume design. I graduated during the recession and couldn't find work, so depression got me until I found the cosplay community and opened up again with both a social life and a creative drive.
Through ALL of this, I was writing in my spare time. From the moment I could draw really sloppy letters on a page, I was creating stories and it became something I did to relieve stress and cope with life changes. At 17, I finished my first novel at 160,000 words (it since got lost in many crashed computers and moves) But since then I have been writing like a mad woman and finally published in 2019. I have no plans of stopping.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 22, 2022
Romance wins
Loved this entire storyline! It was hard to put this one down. I was engrossed to see how this love would would end. Looking forward to reading more from this author!
Loved this entire storyline! It was hard to put this one down. I was engrossed to see how this love would would end. Looking forward to reading more from this author!
April 1, 2023
Little Rabbit
I enjoyed this book very much! It had all the right amount of suspense, alpha-hole male and smut in this short read. Cassius the MMC, is a jerk and doesn’t care much about anything really, but exacting revenge on the one lords house who took a close friend from him so he doesn’t want to get close to anyone, because his enemies can try to hurt him if he did. That is until our FMC comes into the picture. Cassius’ rival comes back into town and he wants to steal from Jackson, that he values most and upon breaking into his house he finds a woman locked up, but she no ordinary human she is Nephilim. He is a brute of a jerk with her at first, but then he becomes redeemable!
I enjoyed this book very much! It had all the right amount of suspense, alpha-hole male and smut in this short read. Cassius the MMC, is a jerk and doesn’t care much about anything really, but exacting revenge on the one lords house who took a close friend from him so he doesn’t want to get close to anyone, because his enemies can try to hurt him if he did. That is until our FMC comes into the picture. Cassius’ rival comes back into town and he wants to steal from Jackson, that he values most and upon breaking into his house he finds a woman locked up, but she no ordinary human she is Nephilim. He is a brute of a jerk with her at first, but then he becomes redeemable!
June 21, 2021
loved it, as usual. A serious case of hot and cold coming together and working out. Cassius is about as rough and cold as they come and Gemma is definitely the sunshine girl but with a bit of a dark side that Cassius tends to bring out. Another great quick read with a lot of action, steam, and vampires.
March 19, 2025
Feeder verse book 2 novella
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Tropes:
• vampires 🧛
• vampire/human hierarchy
• very, very morally grey mmc 🖤
• dark themes 🥀
•
Triggers:
• mentioned past child abuse
• blood and lots of it 🩸
• graphic violence 👊🏼
• dubious consent
• kidnapping/enslavement ⛓️
• drowning 💧
• explicit sexual content 🫦
Cassius James, a vampire with a reputation for being heartless, seeks vengeance against those who have wronged him and his loved ones. His quest leads him to target a prized possession, which turns out to be Gemma, a rare Nephilim who has been exploited by obsessive masters due to her blood's addictive properties. Cassius intends to use Gemma as leverage to exact revenge on her former master, but their encounter sets off a chain reaction that upends his world.
Cassius is a brutal and broken individual who thrives in the chaos he creates. Gemma is a fragile, damaged soul that Cassius seeks to corrupt and destroy. They’re two broken halves trying to come together in a way that only they can.
Courtney's writing, once again, is poetically beautiful, drawing readers into the dark world she's created, which is filled with more darker themes and intense scenes than book 1.
I thoroughly enjoyed this quick novella read and I'm really liking the Feeder Verse series, I hope there will be more as I'm intrigued by the world that has been created.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Tropes:
• vampires 🧛
• vampire/human hierarchy
• very, very morally grey mmc 🖤
• dark themes 🥀
•
Triggers:
• mentioned past child abuse
• blood and lots of it 🩸
• graphic violence 👊🏼
• dubious consent
• kidnapping/enslavement ⛓️
• drowning 💧
• explicit sexual content 🫦
Cassius James, a vampire with a reputation for being heartless, seeks vengeance against those who have wronged him and his loved ones. His quest leads him to target a prized possession, which turns out to be Gemma, a rare Nephilim who has been exploited by obsessive masters due to her blood's addictive properties. Cassius intends to use Gemma as leverage to exact revenge on her former master, but their encounter sets off a chain reaction that upends his world.
Cassius is a brutal and broken individual who thrives in the chaos he creates. Gemma is a fragile, damaged soul that Cassius seeks to corrupt and destroy. They’re two broken halves trying to come together in a way that only they can.
Courtney's writing, once again, is poetically beautiful, drawing readers into the dark world she's created, which is filled with more darker themes and intense scenes than book 1.
I thoroughly enjoyed this quick novella read and I'm really liking the Feeder Verse series, I hope there will be more as I'm intrigued by the world that has been created.
July 13, 2021
Really good!
I'm going to have to disagree with the other review I saw of this book. I was about to skip out on it when the R word was mentioned. I can't stand reading about that but I really loved the first book so wanted to give this one a try.
I would NOT describe what happened as rape. Dubious consent? Sure, at times. Gemma was a complex character though. I don't think she wanted the cliche bed of rose petals and candle light first time. She seemed to gravitate towards more of the darkness of life and Cassius had the ability to give her that. I liked the story. I wish it had been longer and the two characters had more time to bond with one another. I wanted to know more about their pasts and watch them interact with each other more. All in all it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more in the series. The writing is done well and I didn't see any typos. The plot was original and the characters were interesting. Don't let the other review scare you from reading this book.
I'm going to have to disagree with the other review I saw of this book. I was about to skip out on it when the R word was mentioned. I can't stand reading about that but I really loved the first book so wanted to give this one a try.
I would NOT describe what happened as rape. Dubious consent? Sure, at times. Gemma was a complex character though. I don't think she wanted the cliche bed of rose petals and candle light first time. She seemed to gravitate towards more of the darkness of life and Cassius had the ability to give her that. I liked the story. I wish it had been longer and the two characters had more time to bond with one another. I wanted to know more about their pasts and watch them interact with each other more. All in all it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more in the series. The writing is done well and I didn't see any typos. The plot was original and the characters were interesting. Don't let the other review scare you from reading this book.
November 17, 2021
Ehhh
This book was full, totally full, of grammatical errors which cheapened the whole experience. I did not like how cruel he was towards her and how she suddenly fell for him, it didn’t make sense. Don’t bother with this one
This book was full, totally full, of grammatical errors which cheapened the whole experience. I did not like how cruel he was towards her and how she suddenly fell for him, it didn’t make sense. Don’t bother with this one
November 20, 2025
Another smutty little vampire novella for the win. The MMC was basically (in my mind) Jason Momoa…but like really unhinged Jason Momoa. sometimes I was a little uncomfy with the cat and mouse dynamic but I persevered and I wasnt mad at it. 🫣
July 23, 2022
Sweet
I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the way she just dove straight into the action with just starting the book. Well done.
I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the way she just dove straight into the action with just starting the book. Well done.
August 10, 2024
I enjoyed reading this book, but one read was enough.
July 12, 2021
I'm the author. If I don't love it, something's wrong. Torment is a dark romance focusing very much on a very troubled and cold character finding warmth in caring about someone he knows he shouldn't. Someone completely opposite to himself. Gemma is sheltered in many ways and very experienced in others, being passed from one owner to the next her whole life because she has "special" blood. Deep down, she longs for a real connection. Cassius is the first vampire who doesn't want her because of her blood and that stirs a dark need and a curiosity in Gemma. Cassius likes to uncover the parts of people they deny and that's what he does with Gemma. First she's just a means to an end, but she becomes HIS torment when he can't get her off his mind.
*Trigger warning: Cassius pushes Gemma in this book to uncover her desires and though all sex scenes are consensual, some people might find some aspects offensive.
*Trigger warning: Cassius pushes Gemma in this book to uncover her desires and though all sex scenes are consensual, some people might find some aspects offensive.
November 23, 2021
i never wrote a review of this and that's weird. I thought I did, but I actually grabbed the hard copy today and realized i never did this! I am new to dark romance, but this was very interesting. it could have been longer i think, but maybe that's just me. I'm getting away from tame stuff and I think this has been a nice transition into the dark romance genre. It's not as in your face as some of the stuff i have read since. But i do think readers would benefit from reading the first book, even though they are meant to be standalones. it sets up the world because in this world, humans are thought of as things and not people. So with that in mind, the cruelty makes sense and i think the way the hero, who's name i can't even remember now because it's been a bit and i read a lot, gets over social norms and falls for gemma anyways is really sweet. she humanizes him and to top it off, gemma isn't innocent. i don't think she ever was and the hero brings that dorment darkness out in her in a way that almost completes her. i'd recommend it for those that don't like sunshine and flowers, but who like the gritty side of imperfect love in an imperfect world.
May 4, 2023
It was okay but most definitely Not as romantic as the first book. If you’re looking for more slow romantic/sexual tension then the first one is better. This book is more of a bad boy with a straight forward, dark romance/torture plot.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews