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Death in Bloom #1
Coerce
Ivy
I know what love is. After witnessing its devastation, I’ve shied away from it,
Until Atlas.
I never thought I’d ignore the red flags and wave a white one.
Surrendering to Atlas in the most delectable way,
I didn’t realize he’d been playing me all along
Until I found myself at his mercy.
They say love can heal all wounds,
But what about the scars left behind?
Atlas
I don’t know what love is. I’ve never been touched by its light or fallen into its depths,
Until Ivy.
When I see something I want, I take it.
And right now, all I want is her.
Each move I make is calculated and methodical,
Until I have her exactly where I want her.
By the time she realizes it’s a trap, it will be too late.
She’ll never forgive me, and I’ll never set her free.
But I feel no guilt, nor remorse.
Not when I’ll own every inch of her; body, heart, and soul.
And not even Ivy herself will stop me.
Author note: If you’re looking for a White Knight, you might want to look elsewhere. Atlas is an Antihero in every sense of the word.
This book plays with the darker side of love such as obsession, infatuation, and the power plays made to obtain it.
*Coerce is a complete standalone novel*
Triggers: It goes without saying that this book contains dark elements that some readers may find uncomfortable including offensive language, graphic violence, and sexual situations. All readers should be over 18 so I don’t have to answer any awkward emails from your parents or dodge pitchforks when I’m doing my weekly shopping.
I know what love is. After witnessing its devastation, I’ve shied away from it,
Until Atlas.
I never thought I’d ignore the red flags and wave a white one.
Surrendering to Atlas in the most delectable way,
I didn’t realize he’d been playing me all along
Until I found myself at his mercy.
They say love can heal all wounds,
But what about the scars left behind?
Atlas
I don’t know what love is. I’ve never been touched by its light or fallen into its depths,
Until Ivy.
When I see something I want, I take it.
And right now, all I want is her.
Each move I make is calculated and methodical,
Until I have her exactly where I want her.
By the time she realizes it’s a trap, it will be too late.
She’ll never forgive me, and I’ll never set her free.
But I feel no guilt, nor remorse.
Not when I’ll own every inch of her; body, heart, and soul.
And not even Ivy herself will stop me.
Author note: If you’re looking for a White Knight, you might want to look elsewhere. Atlas is an Antihero in every sense of the word.
This book plays with the darker side of love such as obsession, infatuation, and the power plays made to obtain it.
*Coerce is a complete standalone novel*
Triggers: It goes without saying that this book contains dark elements that some readers may find uncomfortable including offensive language, graphic violence, and sexual situations. All readers should be over 18 so I don’t have to answer any awkward emails from your parents or dodge pitchforks when I’m doing my weekly shopping.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 9, 2021
789 people are currently reading
5368 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 712 reviews
September 15, 2021
3.99 stars
NO, HE DIDN'T — 💀
NO, SHE DIDN'T — 🤡
The beginning was endearingly sweet, when he pretended to give her choice whilst occasionally forgetting that he's supposed to play the part of a wooing rich man with more money than sense rather than an unhinged psychopath on a mission to ruin yet another innocent life.
“That’s true. Urgh, what a mess. Thank you for looking after me, Atlas. I’m lucky you decided you wanted to be my friend.” I smile.
“I don’t want to be your friend, Ivy. I want to fuck you.”
“Fuck. If you keep ripping my clothes, I’ll have nothing left to wear.”
“I’ll buy you more. Open your mouth.”
I do as he asks, my eyes widening as he pushes my thong between my lips.
“I told you to watch your mouth. It was either this or wrap my hand around your throat, but I didn’t want to bruise you before coffee.”
The continuation was even nicer, 😏 when he thought better of hiding his unsophisticated routine from Ivy. The man surely knows how to lead pussy versa mind games so that the unsuspecting victim feels gratitude for the havoc. 🛐
⛔ Please, don't bother telling me he is irredeemable and the prison is crying fat, ugly tears over his absence within those welcoming walls. ⛔
Do I look like I care? Just let me know if there's anything else Atlas could have done to the heroine to make her actually run off. ✋🏻
⛔ Also don't try to deny the comedian value of dis guy ⛔
He was effortlessly funny, funny bordering on sweet, when he wasn't busy breaking down the door to Ivy's apartment, sedating her or fucking her with a knife on the restaurant's fashionable table. A fan of showing rather than telling, too. 👏🏻
I'm petty enough to lower the rating because I knew who a little girl and a certified stalker were 200 pages earlier than it was revealed. And the culminating dramatic scene made me fall out of my bed laughing. Everyone was so fake ass dramatic that I almost shed a tear or two at the theatrics:D
Otherwise, the toxic mess was good enough to sate my appetite for mass psychosis in romantic fiction. 💋 Atlas took obsession to new heights without turning into a clown-ish wannabe psycho with a jellyfish IQ. 💋 Ivy should have put up a better fight, but Atlas was twice her age, smarter, wealthier than her, and if it weren't enough, totally unscrupulous. She didn't stand a chance. You neither, by the way. 💋💋💋
NO, HE DIDN'T — 💀
NO, SHE DIDN'T — 🤡
The beginning was endearingly sweet, when he pretended to give her choice whilst occasionally forgetting that he's supposed to play the part of a wooing rich man with more money than sense rather than an unhinged psychopath on a mission to ruin yet another innocent life.
“That’s true. Urgh, what a mess. Thank you for looking after me, Atlas. I’m lucky you decided you wanted to be my friend.” I smile.
“I don’t want to be your friend, Ivy. I want to fuck you.”
“Fuck. If you keep ripping my clothes, I’ll have nothing left to wear.”
“I’ll buy you more. Open your mouth.”
I do as he asks, my eyes widening as he pushes my thong between my lips.
“I told you to watch your mouth. It was either this or wrap my hand around your throat, but I didn’t want to bruise you before coffee.”
The continuation was even nicer, 😏 when he thought better of hiding his unsophisticated routine from Ivy. The man surely knows how to lead pussy versa mind games so that the unsuspecting victim feels gratitude for the havoc. 🛐
⛔ Please, don't bother telling me he is irredeemable and the prison is crying fat, ugly tears over his absence within those welcoming walls. ⛔
Do I look like I care? Just let me know if there's anything else Atlas could have done to the heroine to make her actually run off. ✋🏻
⛔ Also don't try to deny the comedian value of dis guy ⛔
He was effortlessly funny, funny bordering on sweet, when he wasn't busy breaking down the door to Ivy's apartment, sedating her or fucking her with a knife on the restaurant's fashionable table. A fan of showing rather than telling, too. 👏🏻
I'm petty enough to lower the rating because I knew who a little girl and a certified stalker were 200 pages earlier than it was revealed. And the culminating dramatic scene made me fall out of my bed laughing. Everyone was so fake ass dramatic that I almost shed a tear or two at the theatrics:D
Otherwise, the toxic mess was good enough to sate my appetite for mass psychosis in romantic fiction. 💋 Atlas took obsession to new heights without turning into a clown-ish wannabe psycho with a jellyfish IQ. 💋 Ivy should have put up a better fight, but Atlas was twice her age, smarter, wealthier than her, and if it weren't enough, totally unscrupulous. She didn't stand a chance. You neither, by the way. 💋💋💋
September 27, 2021
1 star
The hero is too fucking horrible for me to give any shit about him. The hero is basically a psychopath that fixates on women and stalks them. This is how the "relationship" between the hero and the heroine progresses in no particular order—
•He puts cameras in her apartment
•He bugs her phone and steals her car so she has no choice but to allow his driver to take her places
•He watches her through the hidden cameras and jacks off to her while she’s masturbating
•He takes the heroines virginity with a knife handle 😒
•He breaks into the heroines apartment
—He takes pictures of the heroine while she’s naked
—He hides under her bed all night and jacks off to sounds of her masturbating
—He touches the heroine’s vagina while she was unconscious due to him drugging her
•He owns the club she works at (which she doesn’t know) and sets her up as a thief as a reason for her to be fired by her boss
•He makes her boss act like a shitty person and has him record them fucking in one of the rooms for leverage
•He manipulates the heroine into marrying him
•He handcuffs, blindfolds and gags the heroine onto the bed and writes the words” fuck me” on her stomach. He warns her that the contractors coming later are allowed to go anywhere in the house, so be quiet, he even leaves the door open. He walks into the room later and touches her to make her think one of the random contractors did.
•He threatens the heroine that if she doesn’t obey, he’ll murder her friend.
•He plants evidence on the heroine's other boss (who the hero murdered) making it seem like he was the one stalking her. He even planted pictures of “him” touching her boob while she slept when in fact it was the HERO who did that. In turn, the hero manipulates her into trusting him again.
•He payed some guy to stalk the heroine and push her closer to the hero. The guy actually went fucking crazy and attacked the heroine multiple times and nearly killed her.
The hero and his family are also mass murders. I’ll leave it at that because explaining why they’re mass murders, I’ll reach the character limit
The hero also had no back story besides his mom being dead. Like okay? Only him and every other psychotic hero I’ve read 🙄 Give me SOMETHING to justify this behavior.
The heroine of course just forgives him for everything cause she has no self-respect or spine
I also gave absolutely zero shit for the “twist” at the end. I would say the author tried, but it didn't seem like they did 💋
The hero is too fucking horrible for me to give any shit about him. The hero is basically a psychopath that fixates on women and stalks them. This is how the "relationship" between the hero and the heroine progresses in no particular order—
•He puts cameras in her apartment
•He bugs her phone and steals her car so she has no choice but to allow his driver to take her places
•He watches her through the hidden cameras and jacks off to her while she’s masturbating
•He takes the heroines virginity with a knife handle 😒
•He breaks into the heroines apartment
—He takes pictures of the heroine while she’s naked
—He hides under her bed all night and jacks off to sounds of her masturbating
—He touches the heroine’s vagina while she was unconscious due to him drugging her
•He owns the club she works at (which she doesn’t know) and sets her up as a thief as a reason for her to be fired by her boss
•He makes her boss act like a shitty person and has him record them fucking in one of the rooms for leverage
•He manipulates the heroine into marrying him
•He handcuffs, blindfolds and gags the heroine onto the bed and writes the words” fuck me” on her stomach. He warns her that the contractors coming later are allowed to go anywhere in the house, so be quiet, he even leaves the door open. He walks into the room later and touches her to make her think one of the random contractors did.
•He threatens the heroine that if she doesn’t obey, he’ll murder her friend.
•He plants evidence on the heroine's other boss (who the hero murdered) making it seem like he was the one stalking her. He even planted pictures of “him” touching her boob while she slept when in fact it was the HERO who did that. In turn, the hero manipulates her into trusting him again.
•He payed some guy to stalk the heroine and push her closer to the hero. The guy actually went fucking crazy and attacked the heroine multiple times and nearly killed her.
The hero and his family are also mass murders. I’ll leave it at that because explaining why they’re mass murders, I’ll reach the character limit
The hero also had no back story besides his mom being dead. Like okay? Only him and every other psychotic hero I’ve read 🙄 Give me SOMETHING to justify this behavior.
The heroine of course just forgives him for everything cause she has no self-respect or spine
I also gave absolutely zero shit for the “twist” at the end. I would say the author tried, but it didn't seem like they did 💋
November 12, 2021
– 2.75
✨ authors stop normalising the Hero fucking the heroine with a knife or other inanimated objects (chisel/gun/chocolate bar) ✨
the heroine, Ivy, had no self-preservation and made some very questionable choices throughout this book, but somehow it was so relatable.
that's somehow I would do and I couldn't be more proud of Ivy. 😇
yes girl, go get your well-deserved coffee and don't think too much. Push all the recent trauma in the back of your mind where it belongs. 🥰
the Hero, Atlas, on the other hand made even more questionable choices. He was such an obsessed stalker and so protective of his pray. How can I not love this man.
that one is a keeper. 🤩
and now the highlight and why Coerce deserves 3 stars:
When Atlas breaks into her home while she is gone and masturbates all over her sheets. Then he waits for her hiding under her bed. Ivy comes home and lies on her bed while his cum seeps into her skin (his words not mine) and masturbates, while Atlas takes out his cock and masturbates to Ivy's heavy breathing.
What an iconic moment in literature. William Shakespears could never. Who is giving Miss Wright the Pulitzer Price she deserves? 💅
This man. Damn, this man is pure class.
✨ authors stop normalising the Hero fucking the heroine with a knife or other inanimated objects (chisel/gun/chocolate bar) ✨
the heroine, Ivy, had no self-preservation and made some very questionable choices throughout this book, but somehow it was so relatable.
"Do not fucking hang up on me ever again." His angry words sound lethal enough to make me such in a sharp breath so I do wwhat any sane woman would do, I hang up on him.
that's somehow I would do and I couldn't be more proud of Ivy. 😇
He drugged me. He. Drugged. Me. I tell myself this over and over because I just can't get my head around it. And yet, here I stand, sipping coffee in his kitchen like it's normal.
yes girl, go get your well-deserved coffee and don't think too much. Push all the recent trauma in the back of your mind where it belongs. 🥰
the Hero, Atlas, on the other hand made even more questionable choices. He was such an obsessed stalker and so protective of his pray. How can I not love this man.
"I expect you to keep your eye out. If anything happens to her while I'm gone I'll slice you from sternum to throat and rip your intestines out before choking you with them."
that one is a keeper. 🤩
and now the highlight and why Coerce deserves 3 stars:
When Atlas breaks into her home while she is gone and masturbates all over her sheets. Then he waits for her hiding under her bed. Ivy comes home and lies on her bed while his cum seeps into her skin (his words not mine) and masturbates, while Atlas takes out his cock and masturbates to Ivy's heavy breathing.
Our hands dance together, one of us in-tune, one of us oblivious, but in beautifully choreographed synchronicity until Ivy whispers my name and comes with a whimper. My name on her lips gasped out in her moment of passion, throws me over the edge.
What an iconic moment in literature. William Shakespears could never. Who is giving Miss Wright the Pulitzer Price she deserves? 💅
"Was anything real?" The hurt in her voice has me reaching for her. I grab both her wrists when she tries to pull away.
"This is real." I place one hand on my hard cock.
This man. Damn, this man is pure class.
October 7, 2021
DNF @89%. I can’t, I’m sorry. This was monumentally stupid, I thought it would get better…. but here we are. If you want a psycho/stalker romance then read The Bad Guy.
December 24, 2025
4.5 stars for this ott j/p psycho that’s deliciously obsessed
2025 reread
Gaaaahhh! The audiobook is sooooo good!! Duet-narration AND multiple narrators 😮💨. I love that I could tell when it was a different character because of it lol
The same things from 2021 bothered me. I still hate any strip club scenes (even when the hero says other naked women do nothing for him 😒. I just don’t want him there 🤷🏻♀️🤣)
I love that Atlas won’t let ivy leave him 🤣💀. She can try to get away, but it isn’t gonna happen 💀
The audiobook made me round up. They’re my bread and butter (along with graphic audios too lol)
Overall, I still loved it
2021 Review
The amount of people that want to read this book and were recommending it prompted me to put all the books on my TBR on hold, and I’m glad that I did.
We have a psycho, obsessive antihero who only wants the h- and he’ll stop at NOTHING to get her😈SIGN ME UP!
Atlas is 35 and a killer and Ivy is an 18 year old v. She works two jobs, has a sh!tt¥ car, and struggles to make ends meet-On top of the fact that she has no family left and is pretty lonely. One day, her car breaks down and a nice, slick car pulls over and offers assistance. Being the wary, cautious young woman that she is, Ivy turns the help
away (stranger danger lol) but then is persuaded to get the help she needs- and that’s where she meets Atlas😅.
Quick comedic plug- I legit giggled many times while reading this- I like me a sassy h… and did some facepalming too lol. Okay back to the book…
Now Atlas is no ordinary man- he’s a killer, has a bloody background (the prologue shows us how stained his bloody hands are), and makes his living through questionable means. Basically- he’s rich and isn’t necessarily a good guy- one of my favorite types of Hs 😉. He becomes obsessed with Ivy VERY quickly- I mean, he has his employee become her chauffeur before they even have sex 👀💅.
He’s all about protecting her and making sure she’s safe- and it comes in handy when she’s attacked after she’s getting off work. His possessiveness and protectiveness goes haywire after- even after the man that attacked her gets his a$$ kicked by his chauffeur- and the only way she’ll truly be safe is if she’s with him. And then… Ivy gets a stalker- one that watches her while she’s sleeping and sends her flowers and notes of what she’s wearing- and Atlas’s inner Hulk comes out faster than I could eat a chocolate covered strawberry- and his COERCING skills come out to play😈 (I see what you did there Ms. Wright).
Now- there were twists and turns and revelations that are HINTED at through it the book- I mean, I was scratching my head and squinting trying to figure out a few scenarios- but in the end, I figured them out lol; however, I was pleasantly surprised that I was even doing that while enjoying this book.
We have an ott j/p H who becomes a caveman around the h (the amount of over the shoulder throws had me swooning and massaging my muscles from sympathy pain), rips her clothes (don’t worry, he’s rich- he’ll buy her more 💅), has the audacity to stuff her mouth with her ripped thong while he eats her (😈🥵), sedates her (yummy SOMNOPHILIA🔥😅😈), licks her tears, doesn’t mind a little blood- no matter what time of the month it is or how much of a v she WAS LOL (😉he’s used to getting his hands bloody 🤡), finds out she’s a virgin the GOOD OLD FASHIONED WAY (swooooon! One of my favorite ways 🥰🔥), hates wearing protection (he likes to see his stuff coming out of her- plus, did you see my comments about him being a caveman and ott?), tracks her, pins her down when she tries to run away (dubcon tastiness), and makes sure that his DNA juices are ALL OVER her 🔥🥵😈 even when *whispers* she doesn’t know it’s there 👀 * clutches pearls*. Ahhhh… I love me a good stalking psycho 🥰. Of course, the smexy scenes were 🔥🥵.
They had a raw and passionate connection- buuuut I would’ve liked there to be more of a buildup to it all. Also, I would’ve liked the ending to have been fleshed out more- sooooo much happens in the last like 10%- extending it more and doing more showing rather than telling would’ve bumped my score up. I actually, dare I say it, missed some of the angst for me to truly feel immersed in their heads. Plus, she caved in a lot 🤦🏻♀️. Give me more of a push/pull please! Annnnnnd, the last twist should’ve had A LOT more details😏.
Overall, I really enjoyed it
⚠️safety squad⚠️spoilers ahead
-no cheating/sharing/owd
-there’s a scene where the H is at his club which happens to be a strip club 🙄he sees a naked woman but says he only feels for the h and seeing the OW’s bare v doesn’t do anything for him 🤢 WHY EVEN INCLUDE THIS SCENE?? We know he’s obsessed- there’s no need for such a gratuitous scene 🤬 that had nothing to do with the plot 😐
-dubcon ish (she always gives in and enjoys it after)
-we see people get killed and some bloodiness
-there’s an assault scene by OM- the h gets knocked out before anything happens
-OM2 feels her up when she’s asleep and she thinks it’s the H- it’s not- she wakes up and OM suffers the consequences
-somnophilia- many times
-the H ties her up naked/blindfolds her and writes “f*** me” on her pubic area when he has workers in his house- she gets “r@p€d”- but it’s really the H- which she finds out afterwards (and proceeds to throw up)
-she loses her v by his fingers… and the handle of a knife 😳
-HEA/epilogue/months later
2025 reread
Gaaaahhh! The audiobook is sooooo good!! Duet-narration AND multiple narrators 😮💨. I love that I could tell when it was a different character because of it lol
The same things from 2021 bothered me. I still hate any strip club scenes (even when the hero says other naked women do nothing for him 😒. I just don’t want him there 🤷🏻♀️🤣)
I love that Atlas won’t let ivy leave him 🤣💀. She can try to get away, but it isn’t gonna happen 💀
The audiobook made me round up. They’re my bread and butter (along with graphic audios too lol)
Overall, I still loved it
2021 Review
The amount of people that want to read this book and were recommending it prompted me to put all the books on my TBR on hold, and I’m glad that I did.
We have a psycho, obsessive antihero who only wants the h- and he’ll stop at NOTHING to get her😈SIGN ME UP!
Atlas is 35 and a killer and Ivy is an 18 year old v. She works two jobs, has a sh!tt¥ car, and struggles to make ends meet-On top of the fact that she has no family left and is pretty lonely. One day, her car breaks down and a nice, slick car pulls over and offers assistance. Being the wary, cautious young woman that she is, Ivy turns the help
away (stranger danger lol) but then is persuaded to get the help she needs- and that’s where she meets Atlas😅.
Quick comedic plug- I legit giggled many times while reading this- I like me a sassy h… and did some facepalming too lol. Okay back to the book…
Now Atlas is no ordinary man- he’s a killer, has a bloody background (the prologue shows us how stained his bloody hands are), and makes his living through questionable means. Basically- he’s rich and isn’t necessarily a good guy- one of my favorite types of Hs 😉. He becomes obsessed with Ivy VERY quickly- I mean, he has his employee become her chauffeur before they even have sex 👀💅.
He’s all about protecting her and making sure she’s safe- and it comes in handy when she’s attacked after she’s getting off work. His possessiveness and protectiveness goes haywire after- even after the man that attacked her gets his a$$ kicked by his chauffeur- and the only way she’ll truly be safe is if she’s with him. And then… Ivy gets a stalker- one that watches her while she’s sleeping and sends her flowers and notes of what she’s wearing- and Atlas’s inner Hulk comes out faster than I could eat a chocolate covered strawberry- and his COERCING skills come out to play😈 (I see what you did there Ms. Wright).
Now- there were twists and turns and revelations that are HINTED at through it the book- I mean, I was scratching my head and squinting trying to figure out a few scenarios- but in the end, I figured them out lol; however, I was pleasantly surprised that I was even doing that while enjoying this book.
We have an ott j/p H who becomes a caveman around the h (the amount of over the shoulder throws had me swooning and massaging my muscles from sympathy pain), rips her clothes (don’t worry, he’s rich- he’ll buy her more 💅), has the audacity to stuff her mouth with her ripped thong while he eats her (😈🥵), sedates her (yummy SOMNOPHILIA🔥😅😈), licks her tears, doesn’t mind a little blood- no matter what time of the month it is or how much of a v she WAS LOL (😉he’s used to getting his hands bloody 🤡), finds out she’s a virgin the GOOD OLD FASHIONED WAY (swooooon! One of my favorite ways 🥰🔥), hates wearing protection (he likes to see his stuff coming out of her- plus, did you see my comments about him being a caveman and ott?), tracks her, pins her down when she tries to run away (dubcon tastiness), and makes sure that his DNA juices are ALL OVER her 🔥🥵😈 even when *whispers* she doesn’t know it’s there 👀 * clutches pearls*. Ahhhh… I love me a good stalking psycho 🥰. Of course, the smexy scenes were 🔥🥵.
They had a raw and passionate connection- buuuut I would’ve liked there to be more of a buildup to it all. Also, I would’ve liked the ending to have been fleshed out more- sooooo much happens in the last like 10%- extending it more and doing more showing rather than telling would’ve bumped my score up. I actually, dare I say it, missed some of the angst for me to truly feel immersed in their heads. Plus, she caved in a lot 🤦🏻♀️. Give me more of a push/pull please! Annnnnnd, the last twist should’ve had A LOT more details😏.
Overall, I really enjoyed it
⚠️safety squad⚠️spoilers ahead
-no cheating/sharing/owd
-there’s a scene where the H is at his club which happens to be a strip club 🙄he sees a naked woman but says he only feels for the h and seeing the OW’s bare v doesn’t do anything for him 🤢 WHY EVEN INCLUDE THIS SCENE?? We know he’s obsessed- there’s no need for such a gratuitous scene 🤬 that had nothing to do with the plot 😐
-dubcon ish (she always gives in and enjoys it after)
-we see people get killed and some bloodiness
-there’s an assault scene by OM- the h gets knocked out before anything happens
-OM2 feels her up when she’s asleep and she thinks it’s the H- it’s not- she wakes up and OM suffers the consequences
-somnophilia- many times
-the H ties her up naked/blindfolds her and writes “f*** me” on her pubic area when he has workers in his house- she gets “r@p€d”- but it’s really the H- which she finds out afterwards (and proceeds to throw up)
-she loses her v by his fingers… and the handle of a knife 😳
-HEA/epilogue/months later
September 9, 2021
Wow this guy was beyond psycho and the way he was obsessed with heroine was so crazy and I loved it! My favourite book so far this year with definitely one of the best anti hero’s. I will definitely be checking out more of this author’s books be cause I loved this one! Oh just saw she mostly does RH books which I’m not into but I’ll still be on the lookout for her M/F books if they are similar to this.
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September 12, 2021
4* entertainment
1* character development
5* toxicity
This book was really entertaining but don't go in expecting more than a good time with an obsessed hero. I know a lot of people are going to like this for the hero alone, and some might think he was too much.
SPOILERS AHEAD
While I enjoyed parts of this, I had issues with both the hero and the heroine.
Let's start with the hero, Atlas. He's the big baddie, and he does some awful things so he's not just talk.
BUT
The man has no other personality trait other than being a big baddie and obsessed with the heroine. There's no depth to him other than that. He is the blueprint of any dark romance anti hero on steroids but minus a personality.
NOTHING
There's no back story to humanize him. The only hint is a conflict with his father, but none is fleshed out.
He didn't come across as human. Just as an obsessed stalker.
The heroine, Ivy, was nice and relatable in the beginning. A little quirky and not like other girls, but it was in small doses so it didn't enrage me.
BUT
And this is where I feel like the author tried to go for a strong heroine but ended up with a doormat. Because it was all telling and no showing. She kept talking big game, but always ended up back with the hero and fucking him within seconds of him screwing up.
This quote right here is the best example (and not the only one)
"If Atlas thinks I'm going to let him walk all over me, he has another thing coming."
Well, she did. Not 5 seconds later.
Let's recap some of the things Atlas did to Ivy in his stalkerish obsession and how she gave in after every single time.
-he got her fired
-he tampered with her car so he could give her a lift
-he had cameras in her house and had someone terrify her so she would move in with him
-he got her fired again
-he kept giving her sedatives and being creepy
-he chained her to a bed, put a sleeping mask on her face and wrote fuck me on her belly then told her construction workers were in the house and she should be quiet because any could come in and fuck her and left her there. Then he fucked her while she didn't know it was him and she was ill after, but still fucked him again 5 seconds later.
There was also this weirdly soap opera ending that I'm too lazy to write about, but I didn't care for.
After everything that happened, Ivy would say she's done, but would go back to Atlas the next page. In the end, it was a happy ending, but none of the issues above were really addressed.
So while it was entertaining, I don't believe their HEA.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF THE BOOK
-INSTA LUST (first kiss at 8%)
-BODY BETRAYING SYNDROME
-CATTY WOMEN (only the heroine is nice ok?)
-CREEPY OM EVERYWHERE
as a side note, the cover is really ugly 😢
Safety is all good
1* character development
5* toxicity
This book was really entertaining but don't go in expecting more than a good time with an obsessed hero. I know a lot of people are going to like this for the hero alone, and some might think he was too much.
SPOILERS AHEAD
While I enjoyed parts of this, I had issues with both the hero and the heroine.
Let's start with the hero, Atlas. He's the big baddie, and he does some awful things so he's not just talk.
BUT
The man has no other personality trait other than being a big baddie and obsessed with the heroine. There's no depth to him other than that. He is the blueprint of any dark romance anti hero on steroids but minus a personality.
NOTHING
There's no back story to humanize him. The only hint is a conflict with his father, but none is fleshed out.
He didn't come across as human. Just as an obsessed stalker.
The heroine, Ivy, was nice and relatable in the beginning. A little quirky and not like other girls, but it was in small doses so it didn't enrage me.
BUT
And this is where I feel like the author tried to go for a strong heroine but ended up with a doormat. Because it was all telling and no showing. She kept talking big game, but always ended up back with the hero and fucking him within seconds of him screwing up.
This quote right here is the best example (and not the only one)
"If Atlas thinks I'm going to let him walk all over me, he has another thing coming."
Well, she did. Not 5 seconds later.
Let's recap some of the things Atlas did to Ivy in his stalkerish obsession and how she gave in after every single time.
-he got her fired
-he tampered with her car so he could give her a lift
-he had cameras in her house and had someone terrify her so she would move in with him
-he got her fired again
-he kept giving her sedatives and being creepy
-he chained her to a bed, put a sleeping mask on her face and wrote fuck me on her belly then told her construction workers were in the house and she should be quiet because any could come in and fuck her and left her there. Then he fucked her while she didn't know it was him and she was ill after, but still fucked him again 5 seconds later.
There was also this weirdly soap opera ending that I'm too lazy to write about, but I didn't care for.
After everything that happened, Ivy would say she's done, but would go back to Atlas the next page. In the end, it was a happy ending, but none of the issues above were really addressed.
So while it was entertaining, I don't believe their HEA.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF THE BOOK
-INSTA LUST (first kiss at 8%)
-BODY BETRAYING SYNDROME
-CATTY WOMEN (only the heroine is nice ok?)
-CREEPY OM EVERYWHERE
as a side note, the cover is really ugly 😢
Safety is all good
September 15, 2021
I'll probably be burned at the stake, but I was not a fan of this. 😬🙈
I like controlling jealous possessive psychos. This guy just came off as a weirdo to me. 🤷🏼♀️
There is ZERO relationship or character development in this book. So, when we get to the "hot scenes", and we get to them immediately, they just seem weird and cringey.
Our 18-year old blushing virgin lets this rando dude go down on her after a 5 minute conversation. 👀 I don't care how nice his car is, this is straight up nonsense. 🤡 This happens within the first 10% of the book (too lazy to look it up exactly) and the rest of the book goes down hill from there, OR UP, depending on if you were into it, I guess. 🤷🏼♀️🤣
I would like to point out that almost every single one of the smexx scenes and the psycho behavior would have been way more hot if these people actually knew each other. Instead I was just confused and recoiling.
My face while reading this book:
Bottom Line? This would have been better as a novella, ala Jessa Kane. It's too long to not have even an OUNCE of development. Sorry friends, I tried!! 😅🙈 ⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating/sharing
- no OW drama
- H drugs the h and molests her while she's incapacitated
- h is virgin, H's past isn't mentioned, that I remember
- H ties the h to a bed with a blindfold on and writes "fuck me" on her with a sharpie, and lets her believe that a stranger comes in and rapes her (it's him). When he takes her blindfold off she's completely traumatized and throws up while sobbing.
- dubcon
- H stalks the h
- H takes the h’s v-card using his fingers and handle of a knife. 😒
I like controlling jealous possessive psychos. This guy just came off as a weirdo to me. 🤷🏼♀️
There is ZERO relationship or character development in this book. So, when we get to the "hot scenes", and we get to them immediately, they just seem weird and cringey.
Our 18-year old blushing virgin lets this rando dude go down on her after a 5 minute conversation. 👀 I don't care how nice his car is, this is straight up nonsense. 🤡 This happens within the first 10% of the book (too lazy to look it up exactly) and the rest of the book goes down hill from there, OR UP, depending on if you were into it, I guess. 🤷🏼♀️🤣
I would like to point out that almost every single one of the smexx scenes and the psycho behavior would have been way more hot if these people actually knew each other. Instead I was just confused and recoiling.
My face while reading this book:
Bottom Line? This would have been better as a novella, ala Jessa Kane. It's too long to not have even an OUNCE of development. Sorry friends, I tried!! 😅🙈 ⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating/sharing
- no OW drama
- H drugs the h and molests her while she's incapacitated
- h is virgin, H's past isn't mentioned, that I remember
- H ties the h to a bed with a blindfold on and writes "fuck me" on her with a sharpie, and lets her believe that a stranger comes in and rapes her (it's him). When he takes her blindfold off she's completely traumatized and throws up while sobbing.
- dubcon
- H stalks the h
- H takes the h’s v-card using his fingers and handle of a knife. 😒
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2025
Um- i was waiting for it to get more unhinged 🤡 but nvm ig
Apparently all that manipulation was not enough for me
Also me reading the whole book knowing from 1st page of prologue, who's the fmc, and who's the stalker 🤡
The biggest blooper of the year :
Potential spoiler ahead (if u have 0 iq cuz the rocket science is just too much to handle)
She went to her friend so that he can remove the tracker in her phone after getting to know her bf is tracking her, but there she said to her friend her stalker had placed the tracker.
And she still doesn't know her bf is the stalker WOW she got to know that at the v end of the book. Not figured, got to know.
But it's okay, cuz it's v much illegal to use your brain and common sense when reading smut, so yeah other than that, it was fine.
“Please don’t take her from me. I’ll stay away, watch over her from afar, and never darken her doorstep again if you just let her live. I get it now. I love her enough to let her go.”
“And I love you enough to stay.”
I whip around and find tired eyes staring back at me.
“You held on.”
“I promised, didn’t I?”
Apparently all that manipulation was not enough for me
Also me reading the whole book knowing from 1st page of prologue, who's the fmc, and who's the stalker 🤡
The biggest blooper of the year :
Potential spoiler ahead (if u have 0 iq cuz the rocket science is just too much to handle)
She went to her friend so that he can remove the tracker in her phone after getting to know her bf is tracking her, but there she said to her friend her stalker had placed the tracker.
And she still doesn't know her bf is the stalker WOW she got to know that at the v end of the book. Not figured, got to know.
But it's okay, cuz it's v much illegal to use your brain and common sense when reading smut, so yeah other than that, it was fine.
“Please don’t take her from me. I’ll stay away, watch over her from afar, and never darken her doorstep again if you just let her live. I get it now. I love her enough to let her go.”
“And I love you enough to stay.”
I whip around and find tired eyes staring back at me.
“You held on.”
“I promised, didn’t I?”
November 22, 2024
I enjoyed this one very much it’s a completely toxic dark age-gap stalker romance with a completely OTT obsessive and possessive psychotic anti-hero. In real-time, I’d run screaming for the hills but as a book boyfriends Atlas was delicious and man he does some really fucked up things to coral and manipulate the woman he wants for his own.
Poor Ivy has no clue I mean she realises that she may be in over her head but she has no idea just how dark and determined Atlas is. His ultimate goal is to possess and isolate her until he’s her world just like she’s his. If she ends up hating him in the process so be it he has enough love for the both of them.
This really was toxic with a capital T there doesn’t seem to be any lengths Atlas won’t go to. Ivy didn’t really stand a chance against his brand of crazy. This was also very hot and explicit I especially loved how raw and gritty and vocal Atlas was he had quite the dirty mouth on him which Ivy definitely seemed to appreciate. What she wasn’t so fond of was his controlling ways but the more she pulled back on him he only pushed back harder.
There is also an age gap Ivy is eighteen to Atlas’s thirty-five. One of my favourite quotes concerns this gap when Ivy mention at dinner being too young to drink and Atlas’s very dirty reply in response. I did guess the twist at the end of this and I did think the finish here was slightly rushed and was also resolved fairly easily but this only affected my overall enjoyment slightly. If you like an especially psycho no boundaries jealous anti-hero and a toxic romance (and boy was this toxic) with a HEA then this is definitely the book for you. My first experience with this author but I’d definitely read them again.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
March 1, 2022
Do you want the truth or do you want me to lie to you?”
I trail a finger down the slope of his nose before tracing his lips. Placing my hand against his cheek, I whisper, “Lie to me.”
January 7, 2022
What a wild ride!
This is the story of Atlas and Ivy. Ivy is an 18 year old virgin, who grew up in foster care and has to work two jobs just to pay her bills. She’s sweet, innocent, and a little naive but sassy. Atlas is a 35 year old man with more money than God. He’s also jealous, possessive, controlling, toxic, and absolutely deranged — I’m not sure what it says about me, but I LOVED him 🤣.
There were a bunch of twists and turns in this story that I didn’t see coming. The smexy scenes were hot AF. I really enjoyed this!
This is the story of Atlas and Ivy. Ivy is an 18 year old virgin, who grew up in foster care and has to work two jobs just to pay her bills. She’s sweet, innocent, and a little naive but sassy. Atlas is a 35 year old man with more money than God. He’s also jealous, possessive, controlling, toxic, and absolutely deranged — I’m not sure what it says about me, but I LOVED him 🤣.
There were a bunch of twists and turns in this story that I didn’t see coming. The smexy scenes were hot AF. I really enjoyed this!
September 19, 2021
If it weren't for the suspense part, I would have marked this as dnf pretty early on. I have read my share of books containing male leads that are super alphaish but this was fucked up in the worst possible ways. I just wish that the female lead would have put up a little more fight than she did.
September 11, 2021
This went from a solid 4 stars to 1 star. There's a fine line between being an alpha and abusive. This H definitely imho was abusive toward the heroine. I was disgusted by some of his actions
November 5, 2021
THIS is the brand of crazy I like in my men🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
November 7, 2021
DNF 15%.
Pet peeve. Character development fail.
Author doesn’t describe what the heroine looks like, only that she has blonde hair. But we hear about how fucking hot the stalker H is for 2 pages, AND every fucking time he’s on the scene we know that he’s hot. Why the fuck do I need to know how long his lashes are? What fucking color are her eyes, is she pretty, small, tall, fat, skinny, etc?
Can’t draw characters in my mind, when characters aren’t described for the story!
Pet peeve. Character development fail.
Author doesn’t describe what the heroine looks like, only that she has blonde hair. But we hear about how fucking hot the stalker H is for 2 pages, AND every fucking time he’s on the scene we know that he’s hot. Why the fuck do I need to know how long his lashes are? What fucking color are her eyes, is she pretty, small, tall, fat, skinny, etc?
Can’t draw characters in my mind, when characters aren’t described for the story!
November 12, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I wanted to love this book so much. Stalkers are my kryptonite. Paired with Atlas, a perfectly OTT jealous/possessive hero, a myriad twists and turns, Coerce has the potential to be a top 5 fave. Yet somehow, it all fell short for me. This book has gotten all the love so I have a feeling it’s a me not you situation here.
I wanted to love this book so much. Stalkers are my kryptonite. Paired with Atlas, a perfectly OTT jealous/possessive hero, a myriad twists and turns, Coerce has the potential to be a top 5 fave. Yet somehow, it all fell short for me. This book has gotten all the love so I have a feeling it’s a me not you situation here.
October 13, 2025
2 Insta love ⭐️⭐️
Don’t be mad at me, I am a little scared. 😂 But I also want to be honest with my experience.
I know a lot of you love this. I just didn’t for a lot of reasons.
Most importantly because when a villain has a POV, he stops being dark/ unhinged or whatever. As a reader I start understanding him, and all the craziness he does becomes tame.
It was too insta lovey, because of this. Also he wants to marry an 18 year old 🤦♀️
Now when we are discussing age, it would have had a greater impact with an older fmc. 18 is too young and easy to manipulate. It would have been darker, had she been 25. The fmc didn’t come across as a real person to me, she was too oblivious and two dimensional. She didn’t know he owned the bar where she works 🤦♀️ and then she breaks down when she finds out. That’s the drama!
I did enjoy the writing, there was a humor and well thought out banter and I appreciated that the writer tried to avoid the usual “phrases “. But still get the point across.
The twist was easy to figure out, and I guessed it as soon as the “third” villain had a pov around chapter 5. 🤦♀️
The scene where she thinks she will be raped, would have worked a lot better if it had not switched straight to his POV. It would have been a lot darker if we stayed with her POV. It condescends to the reader. Also his insta remorse made him look small because why did he even do it? I never understood his motivation. If he is so Jp, this works against that trait.
Lastly I didn’t find it romantic, sexy? Yes, but not romantic.
The Jp/ stalker trope, is hard to make romantic, or even good, because psychologically it stems from insecurity. Insecurity is not appealing to me in a man. When a writer tries to pull of JP, it’s often unrealistic to me that he is confident at the same time. Possessive maybe, jealousy? No. It’s a fine line for me.
I do like it, when it happens in a specific context, to show the reader something, but not as a trope pulled over the whole story.
Stalker trope, I guess it can be dark and sexy, but he has to stay a villain, right? I don’t find it credible that they can have an HEA?
This is me talking realism in romance books😂
Should you read it? I don’t know, probably not. If you don’t mind insta love, peppered with weird sex to make it dark. It’s not dark.
Don’t be mad at me, I am a little scared. 😂 But I also want to be honest with my experience.
I know a lot of you love this. I just didn’t for a lot of reasons.
Most importantly because when a villain has a POV, he stops being dark/ unhinged or whatever. As a reader I start understanding him, and all the craziness he does becomes tame.
It was too insta lovey, because of this. Also he wants to marry an 18 year old 🤦♀️
Now when we are discussing age, it would have had a greater impact with an older fmc. 18 is too young and easy to manipulate. It would have been darker, had she been 25. The fmc didn’t come across as a real person to me, she was too oblivious and two dimensional. She didn’t know he owned the bar where she works 🤦♀️ and then she breaks down when she finds out. That’s the drama!
I did enjoy the writing, there was a humor and well thought out banter and I appreciated that the writer tried to avoid the usual “phrases “. But still get the point across.
The twist was easy to figure out, and I guessed it as soon as the “third” villain had a pov around chapter 5. 🤦♀️
The scene where she thinks she will be raped, would have worked a lot better if it had not switched straight to his POV. It would have been a lot darker if we stayed with her POV. It condescends to the reader. Also his insta remorse made him look small because why did he even do it? I never understood his motivation. If he is so Jp, this works against that trait.
Lastly I didn’t find it romantic, sexy? Yes, but not romantic.
The Jp/ stalker trope, is hard to make romantic, or even good, because psychologically it stems from insecurity. Insecurity is not appealing to me in a man. When a writer tries to pull of JP, it’s often unrealistic to me that he is confident at the same time. Possessive maybe, jealousy? No. It’s a fine line for me.
I do like it, when it happens in a specific context, to show the reader something, but not as a trope pulled over the whole story.
Stalker trope, I guess it can be dark and sexy, but he has to stay a villain, right? I don’t find it credible that they can have an HEA?
This is me talking realism in romance books😂
Should you read it? I don’t know, probably not. If you don’t mind insta love, peppered with weird sex to make it dark. It’s not dark.
October 17, 2021
You know me and Stalkers and I gotta say I was 50/50 with Atlas. He was obessed and a real over the top stalker.. he planned stuff and made sure things went to plan. Poor ivy never stood a chance.
It was pretty much insta at first sight and the things he did to make sure Ivy needed him were pretty extreme. Simple stuff making sure her car breaks down and her work life was hell.. cameras in her house, spy on her lol ya know simple stalker stuff lol. this made her need him.. the sexual tension was high between them. And boy talk about mind games.. I did feel like once Ivy had all the pieces she would atleast run.. OR make him grovel.. like that scene where he made her think a construction worker raped her.. he tied her up wrote on her stomach and put on a mask and gagged her and said workers are coming to be quite.. he lied never had anyone near her but he played on that fear and fucked her... poor Ivy felt so sick even if he told her that was him.. that moment she should have ran or kept that pussy away or try to kill him. But nope she gave in... until near the end when a twist (which I already knew) happened.
Low angst, no ow drama kinda om drama, no cheating, Drama, sexy times, virgin gal and no manwhore
Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶
Instalove
Violence
No condom
Tiny dubcon
Knife play
Masturbation
Manipulation
Drugs
Murder
Hea
Epilogue
It was pretty much insta at first sight and the things he did to make sure Ivy needed him were pretty extreme. Simple stuff making sure her car breaks down and her work life was hell.. cameras in her house, spy on her lol ya know simple stalker stuff lol. this made her need him.. the sexual tension was high between them. And boy talk about mind games.. I did feel like once Ivy had all the pieces she would atleast run.. OR make him grovel.. like that scene where he made her think a construction worker raped her.. he tied her up wrote on her stomach and put on a mask and gagged her and said workers are coming to be quite.. he lied never had anyone near her but he played on that fear and fucked her... poor Ivy felt so sick even if he told her that was him.. that moment she should have ran or kept that pussy away or try to kill him. But nope she gave in... until near the end when a twist (which I already knew) happened.
Low angst, no ow drama kinda om drama, no cheating, Drama, sexy times, virgin gal and no manwhore
Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶
Instalove
Violence
No condom
Tiny dubcon
Knife play
Masturbation
Manipulation
Drugs
Murder
Hea
Epilogue
September 30, 2021
This was a fantastic dark romance, and I would have given it five stars, but it did hit a couple of my pet peeves. While the chemistry between the hero and the heroine was fantastic, the plot was dark and creepy, and there was a great crime subplot, it bothered me that a couple of the twists were obvious from the start, yet the author tried so very hard to hide them from the reader. It’s hard to have major twists in a dual-first-person POV book like this, but she outright lied to the reader a few times, which I noticed because I saw the twists coming. Also, there were a few too many twists at the very end of the book that verged on soap opera level ridiculousness. All this said, I love the author’s style, and I’ll be checking out more of her books, just bearing in mind that she loves the wild twists!
December 11, 2025
Some parts I really liked others not so much
I'm very ambivalent about this book. I had fun theorizing on our BR, though ✨ Thank you CB and Lori for all the fun messages~~~✨
࿔*:･ The hero
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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I'm very ambivalent about this book. I had fun theorizing on our BR, though ✨ Thank you CB and Lori for all the fun messages~~~✨
࿔*:･ The hero
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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September 27, 2021
3 Stars! This had too much going on like every obsessive/stalker hero book I’ve read in one which made it soo unrealistic to me and predictable. The author did too much. And was that really a mystery/plot twist bc I knew right away 😒. Maybe its just me I’ve read too many stalker books 🌚
May 5, 2022
**3.7/5 stars**
I honestly don't know how I feel about this book. It was enjoyable, dark and messy, but I also don't feel much about it in the end. It's like my brain knows things that happened in it were wrong and toxic, but I still wanted more shocking stuff to happen. Am I weird? lmao.
The plot was very simple; Ivy a young woman who works two jobs to get by becomes the obsession of a psychotic rich man, Atlas, who will stop at nothing to make her his.
To me, Ivy was a strange character. Essentially, she was smart, she knew not to leave her drink unattended, she was observant and mostly unbothered by people in general. She was able to easily notice red flags and even mentioned them mentally, she was aware. What I don't understand is how her self-preservation was literally non-existent when it came to Atlas. I mean, you have a heroine who pretty much grew up alone and independant, she learned to survive, built walls to protect herself, etc...It didn't make much sense to me that she would just choose to ignore everything she's ever done to preserve herself for a man she barely knows. I felt like Ivy was wooed too quickly by Atlas, I wanted her to stay smart and alerted, guarded, to put up a fight but still end up falling in his grasp.
As for Atlas, he was very possessive, jealous and psychotic. His coercion came off really strong, which was good...It was just too bad that Ivy only needed persuasion to fall for him. Everything would've been more impactful and intense if she'd been more reticent to him. I didn't feel like he was particularly charming, so her falling for him and how he gained her trust so easily was surprising. On a side note, I really liked his chapters; he was obsessed, insane and the best part, he was absolutely fixated on Ivy. I really shouldn't be enjoying a toxic character like that but I did. In his own way, he loved her (well as much as a psycho can) and was willing to do anything and everything to have her. No matter the vileness of his actions, I appreciated his devotion. I also liked how blunt and straightforward he was, no bullsh*t type.
Something about their dynamic was a little bit of a let down for me. Like I said earlier, Ivy didn't put up much of a fight and was easily pulled into a relationship with Atlas, and I was slightly upset at the fact they got together quickly. As a result, it made Atlas's plan less effective or shocking (atleast to me) in the long run. She was too willing, too easily convinced and it sort of dulled the chemistry at that point. In my opinion, a guarded heroine would've been much more interesting to follow, having her being outsmarted by the hero and slowly fall in his traps; I was honestly expecting much more dubcon than what was presented.
The ending felt a little bit rushed to me, I wished the Emma situation had been more developed in the story and not just at end, same thing with Abby. It was a bit anticlimactic. But as a whole, this book was entertaining to read! I point out a few things that bothered me and built my review around them, but overall, I think it was worth picking it up. Had Ivy been more cautious and reluctant in trusting Atlas, my rating would've been much higher. I wanted things to blow up, and they only just sparked.
✔️HEA
✔️Novella
✔️Dual POV
✔️Age gap
✔️OTT/Possessive/Obsessed H
✔️Virgin h
✔️No OW/OM
✔️No cheating
✔️Separation
🔥 Steam level: 2/5
⚡Content warning
⚡Trigger warning
Would I recommend this book? I certainly would. There were really good things about it, Atlas for one, was the highlight of this book. He was outrageously obsessed and if an OTT hero who does everything he can (no matter how bad it is) to be with the heroine is something you are looking for, you won't be disappointed reading this story.
I honestly don't know how I feel about this book. It was enjoyable, dark and messy, but I also don't feel much about it in the end. It's like my brain knows things that happened in it were wrong and toxic, but I still wanted more shocking stuff to happen. Am I weird? lmao.
The plot was very simple; Ivy a young woman who works two jobs to get by becomes the obsession of a psychotic rich man, Atlas, who will stop at nothing to make her his.
“Do you want the truth or a lie?”-Atlas
To me, Ivy was a strange character. Essentially, she was smart, she knew not to leave her drink unattended, she was observant and mostly unbothered by people in general. She was able to easily notice red flags and even mentioned them mentally, she was aware. What I don't understand is how her self-preservation was literally non-existent when it came to Atlas. I mean, you have a heroine who pretty much grew up alone and independant, she learned to survive, built walls to protect herself, etc...It didn't make much sense to me that she would just choose to ignore everything she's ever done to preserve herself for a man she barely knows. I felt like Ivy was wooed too quickly by Atlas, I wanted her to stay smart and alerted, guarded, to put up a fight but still end up falling in his grasp.
“You can be whoever you need to be out there, but you’ll always be my hero even if the only person you’re saving me from is myself.”-Ivy
As for Atlas, he was very possessive, jealous and psychotic. His coercion came off really strong, which was good...It was just too bad that Ivy only needed persuasion to fall for him. Everything would've been more impactful and intense if she'd been more reticent to him. I didn't feel like he was particularly charming, so her falling for him and how he gained her trust so easily was surprising. On a side note, I really liked his chapters; he was obsessed, insane and the best part, he was absolutely fixated on Ivy. I really shouldn't be enjoying a toxic character like that but I did. In his own way, he loved her (well as much as a psycho can) and was willing to do anything and everything to have her. No matter the vileness of his actions, I appreciated his devotion. I also liked how blunt and straightforward he was, no bullsh*t type.
“[...]Thank you for looking after me, Atlas. I’m lucky you decided you wanted to be my friend.” I smile.
“I don’t want to be your friend, Ivy. I want to fuck you.”
Something about their dynamic was a little bit of a let down for me. Like I said earlier, Ivy didn't put up much of a fight and was easily pulled into a relationship with Atlas, and I was slightly upset at the fact they got together quickly. As a result, it made Atlas's plan less effective or shocking (atleast to me) in the long run. She was too willing, too easily convinced and it sort of dulled the chemistry at that point. In my opinion, a guarded heroine would've been much more interesting to follow, having her being outsmarted by the hero and slowly fall in his traps; I was honestly expecting much more dubcon than what was presented.
Her innocence shines to me like a beacon in the dark. Her small frame and barely five-foot stature call to a primal part of me, all of it corruptible by someone evil enough to do so—namely me.
-Atlas
The ending felt a little bit rushed to me, I wished the Emma situation had been more developed in the story and not just at end, same thing with Abby. It was a bit anticlimactic. But as a whole, this book was entertaining to read! I point out a few things that bothered me and built my review around them, but overall, I think it was worth picking it up. Had Ivy been more cautious and reluctant in trusting Atlas, my rating would've been much higher. I wanted things to blow up, and they only just sparked.
“I did not stalk you. More like I professionally pursued you.”
-Atlas
✔️HEA
✔️Novella
✔️Dual POV
✔️Age gap
✔️OTT/Possessive/Obsessed H
✔️Virgin h
✔️No OW/OM
✔️No cheating
✔️Separation
🔥 Steam level: 2/5
⚡Content warning
⚡Trigger warning
Would I recommend this book? I certainly would. There were really good things about it, Atlas for one, was the highlight of this book. He was outrageously obsessed and if an OTT hero who does everything he can (no matter how bad it is) to be with the heroine is something you are looking for, you won't be disappointed reading this story.
September 13, 2021
I put five stars, probably because I am very hungry for such crazy heroes as Atlas! plus everything is by my standards, the heroine is a virgin, with no one after the meeting and the hero only looks at her)
There are flaws like the incomprehensible behavior of the heroine from cold to hot! but this is probably because she is 18 years old, she just wanted to be a strong woman feminist, but it didn't work out)))
There are flaws like the incomprehensible behavior of the heroine from cold to hot! but this is probably because she is 18 years old, she just wanted to be a strong woman feminist, but it didn't work out)))
July 23, 2022
Spoilers ahead
My first review in foreverrrrrr😭
Y'all know how I do so......I saw this recc'd on Facebook so I decided to give it a try and I'm tapping out at 69%. Now I made is through the H's "Alpha" behavior which tbh was a little too much for me but then this 18 year old girl just kept irritating the life out of me. The final straw however was the handling of the stalker situation! Whyyyyyyyyyyy won't this dumbass move for her own safety? Why would she not use the resources available to her for help instead of keeping stuff to herself or telling the H after the fact. It's doing my head in. Also please don't tell me a guy is a badass who kills ppl as he blinks and then make his ineffectual.
Basically I've had enough, I'd have liked to read more about Kenzo but this one scarred me enough for now.
Safe if I remember correctly
Bad guy H is 35 I think naive h is 18
He seemed to have had an active sex life but no mentions that triggered me and no one after meeting the h
Virgin h
Somebody spoil it for me and tell me how the beginning ties in? Is she really who I think she is? Cuz not even my curiosity is enough to get me to go back into this book 🤦🏾♀️
My first review in foreverrrrrr😭
Y'all know how I do so......I saw this recc'd on Facebook so I decided to give it a try and I'm tapping out at 69%. Now I made is through the H's "Alpha" behavior which tbh was a little too much for me but then this 18 year old girl just kept irritating the life out of me. The final straw however was the handling of the stalker situation! Whyyyyyyyyyyy won't this dumbass move for her own safety? Why would she not use the resources available to her for help instead of keeping stuff to herself or telling the H after the fact. It's doing my head in. Also please don't tell me a guy is a badass who kills ppl as he blinks and then make his ineffectual.
Basically I've had enough, I'd have liked to read more about Kenzo but this one scarred me enough for now.
Safe if I remember correctly
Bad guy H is 35 I think naive h is 18
He seemed to have had an active sex life but no mentions that triggered me and no one after meeting the h
Virgin h
Somebody spoil it for me and tell me how the beginning ties in? Is she really who I think she is? Cuz not even my curiosity is enough to get me to go back into this book 🤦🏾♀️
January 20, 2023
What a psychotically crazy ride this was
The big revelations were easily predictable, but not because of the author's capabilities, but rather due to the genre's limitations. Anyway, being a bored detective while reading a romance is not a crime, so let's move on.
The hero was consistently OTT, possessive, obsessive, crazy, unhinged, unstoppable in his meticulous pursuit of the heroine . There was no line he wouldn't cross, no blood he wouldn't spill if it would guarantee he got his woman. Now, I know some readers have delicate sensibilities and would despise a hero like that. No shade here, I applaud your sense of reason and preservation. BUT.... if you're like me and want your books to be a little titillating and bats#it crazy, then look no further. I mean, the hero was my perfect man by saying stuff like that:
And you say romance is dead 🤷🏼♀️🤣
The heroine was okay-ish, but for once I would appreciate a girl, who saw all the craziness of her man and instead of being appalled and running away like lightning (as the hero always assumes she would do) she would tear his clothes away and be flattered that someone so handsome, rich, powerful and good in bed felt so strongly about her. I mean, come on, some realism would not kill ya! 😂💀
The last chapter and the epilogue were kind of a disaster, but overall it was a great read!
The big revelations were easily predictable, but not because of the author's capabilities, but rather due to the genre's limitations. Anyway, being a bored detective while reading a romance is not a crime, so let's move on.
The hero was consistently OTT, possessive, obsessive, crazy, unhinged, unstoppable in his meticulous pursuit of the heroine . There was no line he wouldn't cross, no blood he wouldn't spill if it would guarantee he got his woman. Now, I know some readers have delicate sensibilities and would despise a hero like that. No shade here, I applaud your sense of reason and preservation. BUT.... if you're like me and want your books to be a little titillating and bats#it crazy, then look no further. I mean, the hero was my perfect man by saying stuff like that:
"I will kill for you, die for you, burn this whole world to the ground for you.
And you say romance is dead 🤷🏼♀️🤣
The heroine was okay-ish, but for once I would appreciate a girl, who saw all the craziness of her man and instead of being appalled and running away like lightning (as the hero always assumes she would do) she would tear his clothes away and be flattered that someone so handsome, rich, powerful and good in bed felt so strongly about her. I mean, come on, some realism would not kill ya! 😂💀
The last chapter and the epilogue were kind of a disaster, but overall it was a great read!
October 21, 2022
4.5
Well, this was f*cked up, and i mean really f*cked up.
Atlas took the stalker' craziness to another level!!
I have mixed feelings about him: he could be charming and sweet but also a giant dangerous a$$hole.
His love for Ivy is one born from obsession, deeper than I could have guessed.
Ivy never stood a chance against him, but I liked she tried to preserve her independence.
The plot twist was not really unexpected, i had some doubts, but it still managed to keep me clued to the page waiting for answers.
I think there was too much at stake at the end tho. And everything worked out just fine too quickly.
But I definitely recommended if love this kind of story.
Well, this was f*cked up, and i mean really f*cked up.
Atlas took the stalker' craziness to another level!!
I have mixed feelings about him: he could be charming and sweet but also a giant dangerous a$$hole.
His love for Ivy is one born from obsession, deeper than I could have guessed.
Ivy never stood a chance against him, but I liked she tried to preserve her independence.
The plot twist was not really unexpected, i had some doubts, but it still managed to keep me clued to the page waiting for answers.
I think there was too much at stake at the end tho. And everything worked out just fine too quickly.
But I definitely recommended if love this kind of story.
November 21, 2022
"I can’t fucking breathe without you, Ivy."
Was the hero psychotic and obsessive? Yes, was his relationship with the heroine extremely toxic? Of course...Yet somehow I absolutely loved it 🙃
Atlas is a hired killer, psychotic and so possessive of the heroine that he was doing absolutely everything twisted to get to her. When she finally falls for him, she realizes that the man she fell in love with, is a monster in disguise.
"I tried in my way to be a good guy for her but I set us both up to fall. She fell in love with a man who doesn’t exist and in turn, I punished her for loving him."
I’m no hero, Ivy. You start thinking like that and you’ll only end up disappointed.
To be honest the beginning was somehow cliché and slow for me, once the story picked up (even though it was obvious from the beginning who the stalker is and who the villain is) yet I still found the book very entertaining.
I loved Atlas's obsession with Ivy. From the moment he saw her, to the point when she became his wife, his obsession turned deathly, the questionable things he had done in order for her to not to leave him, was extremely toxic, but somehow he manifested that character from start to end perfectly.
"You are so fucking beautiful. It makes me want to gouge out the eyes of every man who looks at you.”
“Only you can be sweet and psychotic at the same time,”
"What I feel for you can only be love because nobody in this life has any power over me, except for you. I’d rip my heart from my chest and hand it to you, just to show you it’s yours if I could.”
"If I want her to ever be more than just my prisoner I need her to forget the man and love the monster instead."
"I willingly walked into my prison, already in love with the man. But instead of being his savior, I became his downfall"
Tropes: Age-gap, obsession and stalker vibes.
Rating: 4.4 obsessive stars 🌟
Was the hero psychotic and obsessive? Yes, was his relationship with the heroine extremely toxic? Of course...Yet somehow I absolutely loved it 🙃
Atlas is a hired killer, psychotic and so possessive of the heroine that he was doing absolutely everything twisted to get to her. When she finally falls for him, she realizes that the man she fell in love with, is a monster in disguise.
"I tried in my way to be a good guy for her but I set us both up to fall. She fell in love with a man who doesn’t exist and in turn, I punished her for loving him."
I’m no hero, Ivy. You start thinking like that and you’ll only end up disappointed.
To be honest the beginning was somehow cliché and slow for me, once the story picked up (even though it was obvious from the beginning who the stalker is and who the villain is) yet I still found the book very entertaining.
I loved Atlas's obsession with Ivy. From the moment he saw her, to the point when she became his wife, his obsession turned deathly, the questionable things he had done in order for her to not to leave him, was extremely toxic, but somehow he manifested that character from start to end perfectly.
"You are so fucking beautiful. It makes me want to gouge out the eyes of every man who looks at you.”
“Only you can be sweet and psychotic at the same time,”
"What I feel for you can only be love because nobody in this life has any power over me, except for you. I’d rip my heart from my chest and hand it to you, just to show you it’s yours if I could.”
"If I want her to ever be more than just my prisoner I need her to forget the man and love the monster instead."
"I willingly walked into my prison, already in love with the man. But instead of being his savior, I became his downfall"
Tropes: Age-gap, obsession and stalker vibes.
Rating: 4.4 obsessive stars 🌟
November 16, 2021
OTT JP ALPHA H/ sweet loving h/ mafia vibe/
This book was good. It had so many of my fav things!!
The things:
-OTT JP H (the more jealous and possessive the better for me! He didn’t like anyone near her, touching her. I loved it)
-Unapologetically murderous ( he was breaking bones for touching his girl and I loved it!)
-Mafia vibe but it’s not over taking the storyline
-Aggressive & steam rolling H (what he said goes)
-Stalker vibes
-Manipulation ( this was top notch, he manipulated everything around her to get her exactly where he wanted her when, forcing her to change homes, jobs and to become dependent on him)
-Hair grabs
-throat grabs
-rough lovings (without BDSM things)
-Pregnancy
-a little knife play (with the handle… ya know)
-h was sweet n loving (she grew up in the system and has made she making ends meet like us normal folks… but against all the red flags she still can’t stay away)
I really loved this book. It’s hard to find good storylines with a good aggressive, toxic OTT JP H and this one was all my fav things! I hope Kenzo gets a book!
This book was good. It had so many of my fav things!!
The things:
-OTT JP H (the more jealous and possessive the better for me! He didn’t like anyone near her, touching her. I loved it)
-Unapologetically murderous ( he was breaking bones for touching his girl and I loved it!)
-Mafia vibe but it’s not over taking the storyline
-Aggressive & steam rolling H (what he said goes)
-Stalker vibes
-Manipulation ( this was top notch, he manipulated everything around her to get her exactly where he wanted her when, forcing her to change homes, jobs and to become dependent on him)
-Hair grabs
-throat grabs
-rough lovings (without BDSM things)
-Pregnancy
-a little knife play (with the handle… ya know)
-h was sweet n loving (she grew up in the system and has made she making ends meet like us normal folks… but against all the red flags she still can’t stay away)
I really loved this book. It’s hard to find good storylines with a good aggressive, toxic OTT JP H and this one was all my fav things! I hope Kenzo gets a book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2021
Awesome read!
Wow! Not sure exactly what I just read, but it landed on more of my Goodreads shelves than any other book, lol. Cute storyline, (slightly) predictable twist, and a abso-freakin-lutely crazy hero. My only criticism would be that I would have liked their physical relationship to be delayed just a bit to build up the tension, but really it was great! Loved the alarm bells going off and her ignoring them anyway❤.
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: stalker
Angst: 😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Triggers: dubcon
Wow! Not sure exactly what I just read, but it landed on more of my Goodreads shelves than any other book, lol. Cute storyline, (slightly) predictable twist, and a abso-freakin-lutely crazy hero. My only criticism would be that I would have liked their physical relationship to be delayed just a bit to build up the tension, but really it was great! Loved the alarm bells going off and her ignoring them anyway❤.
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: stalker
Angst: 😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Triggers: dubcon
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