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Ward
Grace
The fire stole everything from me.
I was orphaned and homeless, my family’s estate locked in a trust I couldn’t touch until my birthday. I didn’t know what to expect when my father’s estranged step-brother, my new guardian, came to collect me.
Handsome, patient, brooding. Aidan was the opposite of the rage-filled monster who’d raised me. But I soon learned that my guardian harbored sadistic whims of his own.
I listened at doors and peered behind curtains. I saw things I shouldn’t have, things that made me want to reach under my skirt.
Things I desperately want him to do to me.
Aidan
My desires are unconventional.
Grace is too pure, too innocent for the things I would do to her untouched body. Yet a twisted part of me longs to see how she’d look on her knees, bound in leather, her silken skin bearing my marks. I’ll permit her to serve me if she promises to play by my rules.
If only I could stop myself from breaking them.
As her guardian, I’m charged with keeping her safe, and I take that responsibility to heart. But the devastating secrets I carry refuse to remain in the dark.
This love will burn us alive, but I’ll walk through fire before I let the flames touch my little one.
Author's Note: This title contains dark tropes and sensitive themes. Please view the Author's Note in the book's sample pages for details.
The fire stole everything from me.
I was orphaned and homeless, my family’s estate locked in a trust I couldn’t touch until my birthday. I didn’t know what to expect when my father’s estranged step-brother, my new guardian, came to collect me.
Handsome, patient, brooding. Aidan was the opposite of the rage-filled monster who’d raised me. But I soon learned that my guardian harbored sadistic whims of his own.
I listened at doors and peered behind curtains. I saw things I shouldn’t have, things that made me want to reach under my skirt.
Things I desperately want him to do to me.
Aidan
My desires are unconventional.
Grace is too pure, too innocent for the things I would do to her untouched body. Yet a twisted part of me longs to see how she’d look on her knees, bound in leather, her silken skin bearing my marks. I’ll permit her to serve me if she promises to play by my rules.
If only I could stop myself from breaking them.
As her guardian, I’m charged with keeping her safe, and I take that responsibility to heart. But the devastating secrets I carry refuse to remain in the dark.
This love will burn us alive, but I’ll walk through fire before I let the flames touch my little one.
Author's Note: This title contains dark tropes and sensitive themes. Please view the Author's Note in the book's sample pages for details.
267 pages, Paperback
Published March 3, 2022
1110 people are currently reading
3090 people want to read
About the author
Margot Scott
75 books1,040 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Margot Scott writes boundary-pushing forbidden romance that ranges from light and smutty to dark and taboo. When she’s not tethered to a coffee IV, dreaming up wildly inappropriate age-gap relationships, you can find her tucked into a quiet booth at the nearest sushi place.
For inquiries regarding foreign, audio, and other subrights, please contact Laura Pink at laura@sbrmedia.com
For inquiries regarding foreign, audio, and other subrights, please contact Laura Pink at laura@sbrmedia.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 409 reviews
February 24, 2022
4 Little One Stars ⭐
Grace is 17 years old when she loses both her parents and is taken in by her step uncle who she hasn’t met. Fortunately, she is shown much needed kindness and refuge and can make the best of her situation.
Aidan never had a good relationship with Grace’s father, yet he can’t abandon her. Instead of some spoiled ballerina, the young woman in his home is anything but. And frankly he enjoys her company a little too much.
The more I spend in her world, and the deeper she slides into mine, and the more I want her, not just as a plaything. I want the girl, the dancer, the ray of sunshine on cracked concrete where daisies have managed to grow.
Initially when I began this book, I felt a little apprehensive. Although this author is better known for her age gap, daddy kink infused romances, Ward was different. Here Aidan and Grace explore a BDSM lifestyle between dominant and submissive.
My reservations of Grace being too young and vulnerable were mollified due to the slow burn that allowed this consensual relationship to develop between the two based on trust and guidance. However, their commitment of kink without sex had me twitching!
Ward was beautifully written with a couple of storylines woven into one. A story of desire, abstinence and secrets; it worked wonderfully without feeling unbelievable. Frankly it was worth waiting for Aidan to break his own rule and claim Grace as he had been desperately wanting too!
Grace is 17 years old when she loses both her parents and is taken in by her step uncle who she hasn’t met. Fortunately, she is shown much needed kindness and refuge and can make the best of her situation.
Aidan never had a good relationship with Grace’s father, yet he can’t abandon her. Instead of some spoiled ballerina, the young woman in his home is anything but. And frankly he enjoys her company a little too much.
The more I spend in her world, and the deeper she slides into mine, and the more I want her, not just as a plaything. I want the girl, the dancer, the ray of sunshine on cracked concrete where daisies have managed to grow.
Initially when I began this book, I felt a little apprehensive. Although this author is better known for her age gap, daddy kink infused romances, Ward was different. Here Aidan and Grace explore a BDSM lifestyle between dominant and submissive.
My reservations of Grace being too young and vulnerable were mollified due to the slow burn that allowed this consensual relationship to develop between the two based on trust and guidance. However, their commitment of kink without sex had me twitching!
Ward was beautifully written with a couple of storylines woven into one. A story of desire, abstinence and secrets; it worked wonderfully without feeling unbelievable. Frankly it was worth waiting for Aidan to break his own rule and claim Grace as he had been desperately wanting too!
March 1, 2022
I loved Wars in Killing Me Softly Anthology and loved it! Now It’s back as a standalone, and yes, the book is full length and not a novella.
The author has never shied away from spice and steam, with sometimes a touch of BDSM. Wars has all that with more than a touch. It’s smoking
Grace unexpectedly loses her parents shy of her eighteenth birthday and is now in the care of her Ward, Aidan. Aidan is Grace’s fathers' brother. Aidan is not who Grace pictured as her ward and step-uncle.
Aidan expects a young brat. But before him is a beautiful young woman with childhood trauma; her escape is ballet. He is instantly smitten and tries to keep a safe distance. Aiden is full of mystery. Ceo by day. Dom by night.
After an unexpected trip home, Grace walks into something she shouldn’t and opens her eyes to a whole new world. From there, things start to stole escalate between the two. The chemistry between the two is smoking hot.
There is dark elements to the story. Like always, read your trigger warnings.
The second epilogue is everything. As always, I read this book in one sitting, and it is one of my favorite books by Margot Scott.
The author has never shied away from spice and steam, with sometimes a touch of BDSM. Wars has all that with more than a touch. It’s smoking
Grace unexpectedly loses her parents shy of her eighteenth birthday and is now in the care of her Ward, Aidan. Aidan is Grace’s fathers' brother. Aidan is not who Grace pictured as her ward and step-uncle.
Aidan expects a young brat. But before him is a beautiful young woman with childhood trauma; her escape is ballet. He is instantly smitten and tries to keep a safe distance. Aiden is full of mystery. Ceo by day. Dom by night.
After an unexpected trip home, Grace walks into something she shouldn’t and opens her eyes to a whole new world. From there, things start to stole escalate between the two. The chemistry between the two is smoking hot.
There is dark elements to the story. Like always, read your trigger warnings.
The second epilogue is everything. As always, I read this book in one sitting, and it is one of my favorite books by Margot Scott.
January 1, 2023
I was expecting more from this book.
It's an age gap story, honestly not a big fan, it begin very interesting and mysterious, dark, all the ingredients, but along the way it lost a bit of its magic.
I guess it wasn't dark enough...
And didn't give me nothing new from the others age gap stories.
But it's still a good story and well worth reading.
March 5, 2022
Rebirth from the Ashes
4.5 stars - This book comes with trigger warnings so take heed before you proceed. And if you do proceed, you'll be wowed, indeed!
(Don't worry, I'm not giving up my day job. 😂)
In my opinion, it's not overly dark. I'd tack it as middle of the road with much of it being references to things that occurred prior to the start of Aidan and Grace's story but there is abuse in various forms.
I was hooked from the beginning. Grace has experienced a devastating loss and lands in the care of her step-uncle. The attraction exists almost immediate but I liked that it takes time and a series of events before anything comes of it.
The heart, along with the push-pull that Aidan struggled with for much of the book endeared them to me. I liked how they pushed each other and not just in their D/s relationship.
I also loved some of the side characters, especially Jen, Matthew, and Dante. Jen brings much needed love and maternal protectiveness, plus she comes off as fiercely loyal. Matthew can be a smartypants, which is a good tension breaker that comes in handy a time or two. Dante... well, Dante's just fierce and I loved it!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
4.5 stars - This book comes with trigger warnings so take heed before you proceed. And if you do proceed, you'll be wowed, indeed!
(Don't worry, I'm not giving up my day job. 😂)
In my opinion, it's not overly dark. I'd tack it as middle of the road with much of it being references to things that occurred prior to the start of Aidan and Grace's story but there is abuse in various forms.
I was hooked from the beginning. Grace has experienced a devastating loss and lands in the care of her step-uncle. The attraction exists almost immediate but I liked that it takes time and a series of events before anything comes of it.
The heart, along with the push-pull that Aidan struggled with for much of the book endeared them to me. I liked how they pushed each other and not just in their D/s relationship.
'She's my match in every way. My redeemer, my ward.'
-- Aidan O'Rourke
I also loved some of the side characters, especially Jen, Matthew, and Dante. Jen brings much needed love and maternal protectiveness, plus she comes off as fiercely loyal. Matthew can be a smartypants, which is a good tension breaker that comes in handy a time or two. Dante... well, Dante's just fierce and I loved it!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
March 13, 2022
⛔️TW⛔️
Absolutely fucking NOT!! There is a OM w/ the heroine scene in this book omg I wanna cry I thought it was safe! Not 1 but 2 MEN.
Why was this scene necessary… INSTANT DNF! 😭
They don’t have sex but they do other stuff I’m not gonna spoil. And she didn’t even want to do it 🤢
Shocked by all the good reviews
Absolutely fucking NOT!! There is a OM w/ the heroine scene in this book omg I wanna cry I thought it was safe! Not 1 but 2 MEN.
Why was this scene necessary… INSTANT DNF! 😭
They don’t have sex but they do other stuff I’m not gonna spoil. And she didn’t even want to do it 🤢
Shocked by all the good reviews
April 8, 2022
5 stars for the cover. Absolutely gorgeous and I looked to see which cover designer the author credited and noticed no credits. I know some authors design covers themselves and simply leave out credits. So, if Margot Scott happened to design this cover kudos to her.
Minor spoilers ahead:
I'm shelving this as step-brother, but it's really the heroine's father's estranged step-brother who takes her in after her parents die. The h is 17 and
The taboo nature of the guardian-ward dynamic combined with the cover drew me in, I knew I wasn't in the mood to read anything with bdsm, which is on me. With that said, some authors are crafty enough to make me like it anyway (such as Eve Dangerfield in Act Your Age and Brianna Hale in The Protégé). I felt there was too much telling vs. showing when it came to all the BDSM stuff. There was too much exposition of the dynamic in the H's inner thoughts, and it was really the author telling me, 'this is how the H does kink.' Instead of a natural, character-driven progression that I've gotten from other authors that includes more subtlety. The heat level for me was like 3.5 stars. I think the author could have sexed the book up more, made it hotter. A couple times the heroine would describe past sex with the H and I was like: 'That sounded good...would've been nice to actually read that encounter vs the heroine retelling it.'
I want to read Dante's story! Seriously, Dante had screen presence. When he just grabbed the heroine by the throat after she spilt lemonade on his shirt and was ready to have his way with her...I was ready for this to become a love triangle.
Oh, the villain subplot was ridiculous. I wasn't really into it.
Safety: There's sort of ow drama. No cheating
Triggers: Age-gap I suppose. If you're squicked out by a 17/18 year old being with a 35-39 year old this may not be the book for you. No sex till she's 18. There's a lot of S/m in this book, references to domestic violence (not from the H), and that's about it. I don't consider this very dark.
By the way, if anyone likes the premise of this book and is okay with light daddy kink (no age-regression) I can't recommend The Protégé by Brianna Hale enough. Guardian-ward relationships with a performance arts setting is one of my favorites because it happens in real life. Hale's book is the most authentic I've ever read.
Minor spoilers ahead:
I'm shelving this as step-brother, but it's really the heroine's father's estranged step-brother who takes her in after her parents die. The h is 17 and
The taboo nature of the guardian-ward dynamic combined with the cover drew me in, I knew I wasn't in the mood to read anything with bdsm, which is on me. With that said, some authors are crafty enough to make me like it anyway (such as Eve Dangerfield in Act Your Age and Brianna Hale in The Protégé). I felt there was too much telling vs. showing when it came to all the BDSM stuff. There was too much exposition of the dynamic in the H's inner thoughts, and it was really the author telling me, 'this is how the H does kink.' Instead of a natural, character-driven progression that I've gotten from other authors that includes more subtlety. The heat level for me was like 3.5 stars. I think the author could have sexed the book up more, made it hotter. A couple times the heroine would describe past sex with the H and I was like: 'That sounded good...would've been nice to actually read that encounter vs the heroine retelling it.'
I want to read Dante's story! Seriously, Dante had screen presence. When he just grabbed the heroine by the throat after she spilt lemonade on his shirt and was ready to have his way with her...I was ready for this to become a love triangle.
Oh, the villain subplot was ridiculous. I wasn't really into it.
Safety: There's sort of ow drama. No cheating
Triggers: Age-gap I suppose. If you're squicked out by a 17/18 year old being with a 35-39 year old this may not be the book for you. No sex till she's 18. There's a lot of S/m in this book, references to domestic violence (not from the H), and that's about it. I don't consider this very dark.
By the way, if anyone likes the premise of this book and is okay with light daddy kink (no age-regression) I can't recommend The Protégé by Brianna Hale enough. Guardian-ward relationships with a performance arts setting is one of my favorites because it happens in real life. Hale's book is the most authentic I've ever read.
July 25, 2023
What to say, what to say… I didn’t like or dislike this book. Certain parts made me cringe from discomfort and certain parts made me want to keep reading. Getting the negative out of the way. There is a list of trigger warnings before the start of this book. They are there for a reason. Triggers aren’t a negative for me. I can read dark stories whenever. This is a story of grooming, dressed up as romance. Grace is an underage, (17) newly minted orphan at the start of this. Aiden is her 38 or 39 year old, newly appointed guardian. Touching doesn’t happen until after she turns 18 for the most part, but the implication that it will happen is still there. She is described as “mature” (because of course she is) but also described as naive, innocent, and she makes choices that anyone with a modicum of maturity wouldn’t make. I don’t inherently have an issue with the age gap, or the imbalance of power, or that Grace was 17 at the beginning. I think it’s the combination of those things that rub me the wrong way. If this was a horror novel, it would be different. As a romance, it gets tricky and I don’t think I was sold on it in this book. Another issue is the progression of the story. I read a lot of things where you as the reader are just expected to make leaps of logic for story progression that are not described in the writing itself. Things in this book sort of just happened though. One chapter, it was a rule. In the next chapter, it was being broken with no explanation, no exploration of emotions or thoughts. It just happened.
Now, the good stuff. This story read really quickly and the writing was well done. Also, the climax was amazing. While I was hoping for a redemption arc, the villain arc made sense. It was fast paced and intense but it was explained thoroughly. This was one part where I didn’t feel like the author expected me to make a leap in logic.
Now, the good stuff. This story read really quickly and the writing was well done. Also, the climax was amazing. While I was hoping for a redemption arc, the villain arc made sense. It was fast paced and intense but it was explained thoroughly. This was one part where I didn’t feel like the author expected me to make a leap in logic.
September 25, 2022
This is a sweet, steamy, and suspenseful age gap romance. After Grace’s parents are killed in a tragic house fire, she’s sent to live with her father’s estranged step-brother as she finishes high school. I wasn’t expecting the suspense plotline, and I don’t want to spoil it at all, but it was quite well done.
Aiden is described as dark and brooding in the blurb, but he honestly wasn’t particularly “dark and brooding”. His staff loves him, he’s kind, and sure, he’s no nonsense, but he’s a successful businessman, so that makes sense. I loved this love story, even though the age difference was a little big. It always stresses me out to think that even if the older MC dies of old age, the other will have decades alone missing their love. On that happy note: 4 stars
HEA:
Content warnings:
Aiden is described as dark and brooding in the blurb, but he honestly wasn’t particularly “dark and brooding”. His staff loves him, he’s kind, and sure, he’s no nonsense, but he’s a successful businessman, so that makes sense. I loved this love story, even though the age difference was a little big. It always stresses me out to think that even if the older MC dies of old age, the other will have decades alone missing their love. On that happy note: 4 stars
HEA:
Content warnings:
April 8, 2022
This was interesting and different for me. I've never really read much on the full on BDSM side so there was a lot of new things I learned. I wouldn't say this is something I'd be into reading more of, but nothing wrong with it. I wouldn't consider this book dark, but it does have the taboo/forbidden factor to it.
March 4, 2022
As always, I have a thing for any Margot Scott book.
In this one, we have an orphan girl being cared after by her rich af estranged step-uncle (emphasis on step). You can already see where this is going. It's a tale old as time for we lot. The thing about our composed, charismatic older hero is that he's into BDSM. But wait, he never fucked his subs though, that was his rule. You'll understand his reasons later, which was understandable.
Our girl, however, was not as straight-laced as we thought. She was broken and afraid when she arrived at his home. And that, will be (probably) the reason why she wanted to fall into the whole lifestyle.
From someone who doesn't care about this kink, I think it was a pretty good read. It doesn't lean heavily on the whole bondage, just few cuffs here and there. Plus, her being underage in the beginning of the book might also factored into the soft intro she had into this practice.
Which again, I love that it did. As per comparison, I don't think this book was as dark as some of her previous works. It's questionable at times but by the time she reached 18, we can assume they're both consensual adults and can do whatever they want. So yeah, that's my thought and this definitely going in my recommendable BDSM age gap romance.
In this one, we have an orphan girl being cared after by her rich af estranged step-uncle (emphasis on step). You can already see where this is going. It's a tale old as time for we lot. The thing about our composed, charismatic older hero is that he's into BDSM. But wait, he never fucked his subs though, that was his rule. You'll understand his reasons later, which was understandable.
Our girl, however, was not as straight-laced as we thought. She was broken and afraid when she arrived at his home. And that, will be (probably) the reason why she wanted to fall into the whole lifestyle.
From someone who doesn't care about this kink, I think it was a pretty good read. It doesn't lean heavily on the whole bondage, just few cuffs here and there. Plus, her being underage in the beginning of the book might also factored into the soft intro she had into this practice.
Which again, I love that it did. As per comparison, I don't think this book was as dark as some of her previous works. It's questionable at times but by the time she reached 18, we can assume they're both consensual adults and can do whatever they want. So yeah, that's my thought and this definitely going in my recommendable BDSM age gap romance.
May 8, 2022
1.5 The characters were just too bland to me, there was hardly any smut and the dirty talk wasn’t very good lmao 👍
A cool concept but not well written, I preferred my recent read “Praise” by Sara Cate which had similar relationship dynamics, but the characters and smut were a lot more interesting. 🫤
A cool concept but not well written, I preferred my recent read “Praise” by Sara Cate which had similar relationship dynamics, but the characters and smut were a lot more interesting. 🫤
January 3, 2023
I never dnf a book but this just wasn’t it. The tropes were everything I love in a book, but the fact that this was a short book and I was at 60% and nothing had happened to keep me going, is a no for me
March 4, 2022
Ward is another amazing read by Margot Scott. It follows aspiring ballerina 17 year old Grace who is struck with tragedy when she loses both of her parents and is taken in by her step uncle.
Aidan didn't expect to have to take in his cruel stepbrothers daughter, but when he meets Grace he can instantly tell that she's a gentle broken soul. There's an instant attraction between the two, but Aidan tries his best to resist the tempting ballerina.
The story starts off sad, and you really feel for Grace and everything she's gone through- but what also comes with it is a beautiful romance between two souls.
No daddy dom this time but we have bdsm! If you want a read that will tear at your heartstrings but brings you a beautiful hea, this is for you.
I recieved an arc for an honest review :)
Aidan didn't expect to have to take in his cruel stepbrothers daughter, but when he meets Grace he can instantly tell that she's a gentle broken soul. There's an instant attraction between the two, but Aidan tries his best to resist the tempting ballerina.
The story starts off sad, and you really feel for Grace and everything she's gone through- but what also comes with it is a beautiful romance between two souls.
No daddy dom this time but we have bdsm! If you want a read that will tear at your heartstrings but brings you a beautiful hea, this is for you.
I recieved an arc for an honest review :)
December 27, 2024
1/5 I feel like I need to shower after reading this. 😭 And not in a good way!
TROPES:
-guardian/ward (hero is heroine’s dad’s stepbrother)
-forced proximity
-age gap (18h, 30sH)
-OM/OW drama
So. This book starts off with the heroine being 17, which I loved. Nothing happens until the heroine is 18 though! After her family dies, the heroine goes to live with her new guardian, her dad’s stepbrother.
He’s a doozy. He has a traumatic past. He’s a Dom who frequently holds sex parties with his creepy buddies. He sees the heroine and he wants her.
The heroine comes home to him having a girl over. She hears him “beating” her with a flogger and is jealous. The woman turns out to be his buddy’s wife. But he didn’t have sex with her, he doesn’t have sex with his submissives.
Then, she comes home unannounced to him having another party and decides to join. She walks in on her guardian’s buddy getting a BJ and he offers to let her join. She doesn’t. She sees her guardian flogging the same woman again, and he spots her. They decide to take their relationship to the next level- with him becoming her Dom. But once again, they don’t have sex. He basically just encourages her to finish her homework for months, lol.
Soon, she turns 18. Because he doesn’t have sex with his subs, he invites his two creepy buddies over to have sex with her. She hesitantly agrees. They grope her, touch her, have a finger in her asshole lol. Then the hero gets jealous and tells them to leave. He then has sex with her.
Goodness. This book was just.. gross to me. I don’t mind sharing in some books but this was to the extreme and not sexy at all. I wanna delete this off my kindle and never look at the cover again, LOL.
SAFETY:
virgin heroine, celibate hero
OM/OW drama
sharing
triggers: group sex, underage heroine for most of the book, power imbalance, discussions of past SA, CNC, suicide, domestic abuse
kinks: group sex, BDSM, CNC, rough sex, edging, “good girl” praise
HEA. I think.
TROPES:
-guardian/ward (hero is heroine’s dad’s stepbrother)
-forced proximity
-age gap (18h, 30sH)
-OM/OW drama
So. This book starts off with the heroine being 17, which I loved. Nothing happens until the heroine is 18 though! After her family dies, the heroine goes to live with her new guardian, her dad’s stepbrother.
He’s a doozy. He has a traumatic past. He’s a Dom who frequently holds sex parties with his creepy buddies. He sees the heroine and he wants her.
The heroine comes home to him having a girl over. She hears him “beating” her with a flogger and is jealous. The woman turns out to be his buddy’s wife. But he didn’t have sex with her, he doesn’t have sex with his submissives.
Then, she comes home unannounced to him having another party and decides to join. She walks in on her guardian’s buddy getting a BJ and he offers to let her join. She doesn’t. She sees her guardian flogging the same woman again, and he spots her. They decide to take their relationship to the next level- with him becoming her Dom. But once again, they don’t have sex. He basically just encourages her to finish her homework for months, lol.
Soon, she turns 18. Because he doesn’t have sex with his subs, he invites his two creepy buddies over to have sex with her. She hesitantly agrees. They grope her, touch her, have a finger in her asshole lol. Then the hero gets jealous and tells them to leave. He then has sex with her.
Goodness. This book was just.. gross to me. I don’t mind sharing in some books but this was to the extreme and not sexy at all. I wanna delete this off my kindle and never look at the cover again, LOL.
SAFETY:
virgin heroine, celibate hero
OM/OW drama
sharing
triggers: group sex, underage heroine for most of the book, power imbalance, discussions of past SA, CNC, suicide, domestic abuse
kinks: group sex, BDSM, CNC, rough sex, edging, “good girl” praise
HEA. I think.
March 4, 2022
3/5 ⭐️
?/5 🌶
Tropes:
- age gap (yrs unknown but more than 17yrs)
- guardian x ward
- dark romance
- forbidden
- dom + sub
- bdsm
- virgin heroine
- suspense
- insta-love
POV: first person - dual
Type: stand-alone
Idk what was happening half the time. A little secondhand embarrassment was evident (which never happens when I read).
Normally I’m a big fan of insta-love but this didn’t feel believable in the slightest so...
We got more “action” with side characters, which needless to say pissed me off. There were more scenes with our hero preforming bdsm with another woman and our heroine got more action with two of the hero’s friends. When it came to the heroine and hero together (especially in the beginning) we didn’t get details of their supposed play scenes but rather just told they had happened.
Regarding spice, I felt like there was something but at the same time nothing at all. Up until about the last 10-15% there had been essentially no spice between the main characters besides one scene with minimal details. So idk how to rate the spice.
?/5 🌶
Tropes:
- age gap (yrs unknown but more than 17yrs)
- guardian x ward
- dark romance
- forbidden
- dom + sub
- bdsm
- virgin heroine
- suspense
- insta-love
POV: first person - dual
Type: stand-alone
Idk what was happening half the time. A little secondhand embarrassment was evident (which never happens when I read).
Normally I’m a big fan of insta-love but this didn’t feel believable in the slightest so...
We got more “action” with side characters, which needless to say pissed me off. There were more scenes with our hero preforming bdsm with another woman and our heroine got more action with two of the hero’s friends. When it came to the heroine and hero together (especially in the beginning) we didn’t get details of their supposed play scenes but rather just told they had happened.
Regarding spice, I felt like there was something but at the same time nothing at all. Up until about the last 10-15% there had been essentially no spice between the main characters besides one scene with minimal details. So idk how to rate the spice.
June 24, 2024
➵ 3.5 stars
I’m genuinely not sure how to start this review. I did somewhat enjoy this book but I do have a lot of criticisms of it at the same time. I think that this book is great if you’re looking for a short and spicy read, but anything beyond that I wasn’t overly obsessed with. I was really excited going into this cuz it’s a forbidden age gap bdsm romance. There is more to it than that. But I was really excited and after reading the whole thing it somewhat feels like a letdown? In a way I guess? Idk
For me the book as a whole could’ve just been better. The characters could’ve been more fleshed out and the plot feels all over the place. I wasn’t really a huge fan of the plot line with Liam and the plot twist at the end. This book feels like it’s trying too hard to be way too many different things and it doesn’t work because this book is less than 300 pages and can’t fit it all in way that flows correctly. It feels fast paced but not in a good way. I read it fairly quick but when I finished I just felt a bit underwhelmed.
I do love the tropes in this that we’re included but it just feels too forced I guess?!?? Idk the beginning started really good but then it kinda just fell off and fell flat for me??! It also just feels like a lot and it doesn’t feel like a good cohesive story.
To me it’s kinda forgettable. If this book was longer and more fleshed out then I probably would’ve liked it a bit more but I’d say it’s still worth trying out if it intrigues you.
I’m genuinely not sure how to start this review. I did somewhat enjoy this book but I do have a lot of criticisms of it at the same time. I think that this book is great if you’re looking for a short and spicy read, but anything beyond that I wasn’t overly obsessed with. I was really excited going into this cuz it’s a forbidden age gap bdsm romance. There is more to it than that. But I was really excited and after reading the whole thing it somewhat feels like a letdown? In a way I guess? Idk
For me the book as a whole could’ve just been better. The characters could’ve been more fleshed out and the plot feels all over the place. I wasn’t really a huge fan of the plot line with Liam and the plot twist at the end. This book feels like it’s trying too hard to be way too many different things and it doesn’t work because this book is less than 300 pages and can’t fit it all in way that flows correctly. It feels fast paced but not in a good way. I read it fairly quick but when I finished I just felt a bit underwhelmed.
I do love the tropes in this that we’re included but it just feels too forced I guess?!?? Idk the beginning started really good but then it kinda just fell off and fell flat for me??! It also just feels like a lot and it doesn’t feel like a good cohesive story.
To me it’s kinda forgettable. If this book was longer and more fleshed out then I probably would’ve liked it a bit more but I’d say it’s still worth trying out if it intrigues you.
March 31, 2022
I got this book as my first ever ARC and MAN was it a good one. This is my first book by Margot Scott but you best believe I am now going to be reading ALL OF THEM. This book is dark, steamy, slightly taboo and super sexy. Their is a TON of research that was clearly done about the BDSM community which I really appreciate. Age gap, D/s, restraints, wax play, and all of the sexiness that comes with it. Please check TWs before reading! Bravo 👏🏻👏🏻
dnf-too-early-to-mark-it-read
December 17, 2025Having the heroine hear the hero have his BDSM session with OW is a turn off. If he needed to do his things because his newly acquired 17 year old ward was making him feel things, why not go somewhere said 17 year old can't hear...
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2022
Grace meets Aiden after a tragic accident that left her an orphan. He becomes her ward.
She shows up at a party that she wasn't suppose to be at and she liked it.
That's where things take off for her and Aiden.
I love the way they took things slow and learned one another.
You could just feel how they felt about one another through the pages.
I loved this couple.
She shows up at a party that she wasn't suppose to be at and she liked it.
That's where things take off for her and Aiden.
I love the way they took things slow and learned one another.
You could just feel how they felt about one another through the pages.
I loved this couple.
April 28, 2022
2.5 stars. This book is pretty short and it still took me days to finish. Couldn’t connect with the story at all. I felt like so much happened off page and there was literally no tension build up which sucks because that’s my favorite part of forbidden romance. I felt like Aidan didn’t really fight his feelings for grace which made it bleh to me.
December 12, 2022
no because I really enjoyed this?? newly oprhaned girl goes to live with a “relative” she knew nothing about just to find out he’s into BDSM and wants to explore it with him!! I will read that any day, any time. really enjoyed the writing and the pacing and the spice and overall for a smaller book this gave me so much, honestly haven’t read something this fast in a long time and it’s for a reason
March 5, 2022
I read this story last year when it was releasing as part of the Killing Me Softly anthology and again this year when Margot published it on its own with an epilogue. The story is no different than it was last year, so my thoughts are still pretty much the same.
I’m not overly fond of some aspects of the BDSM world, so I can’t say that I enjoyed all this story had to offer, but that does not mean that I can’t appreciate a well thought out plot, and this story did indeed flesh out well. Margot Scott has proven to be an exceptional storyteller of dark taboo romances that do not shy away from life’s darkest circumstances. I appreciate that about her writing a lot. She does not write what I refer to porn on paper with out a plot. She’s impressed me quite a few times with her writing.
At this point there are many reviews that pretty much detail the plot of the story and Aiden and Grace’s journey so I don’t think it’s necessary for me to detail any of those aspects, but I will talk about the feel of this journey so you understand my rating. As I mentioned earlier, there are aspects of the BDSM world that I’m not fond of personally and when those aspects are part of a couple’s journey, it is really hard for me to connect with them as a couple. There are plot points in this story that I skimmed because of my dislike for them but I don’t think it took away from my appreciation of Aiden and Grace’s journey. It did however take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I know that may come across as a bit of a contradiction, but it is what it is and I’m not writing a dissertation to explain it LOL You’ll just have to take my word for it.
If you’re a fan of dark taboo romances that test the comfort of boundaries for the reader, are well writing with intriguing characters and storylines, Margot Scott is an author you should probably be reading on the regular :)
Grab it for 99￠at http://mybook.to/hisward
I’m not overly fond of some aspects of the BDSM world, so I can’t say that I enjoyed all this story had to offer, but that does not mean that I can’t appreciate a well thought out plot, and this story did indeed flesh out well. Margot Scott has proven to be an exceptional storyteller of dark taboo romances that do not shy away from life’s darkest circumstances. I appreciate that about her writing a lot. She does not write what I refer to porn on paper with out a plot. She’s impressed me quite a few times with her writing.
At this point there are many reviews that pretty much detail the plot of the story and Aiden and Grace’s journey so I don’t think it’s necessary for me to detail any of those aspects, but I will talk about the feel of this journey so you understand my rating. As I mentioned earlier, there are aspects of the BDSM world that I’m not fond of personally and when those aspects are part of a couple’s journey, it is really hard for me to connect with them as a couple. There are plot points in this story that I skimmed because of my dislike for them but I don’t think it took away from my appreciation of Aiden and Grace’s journey. It did however take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I know that may come across as a bit of a contradiction, but it is what it is and I’m not writing a dissertation to explain it LOL You’ll just have to take my word for it.
If you’re a fan of dark taboo romances that test the comfort of boundaries for the reader, are well writing with intriguing characters and storylines, Margot Scott is an author you should probably be reading on the regular :)
Grab it for 99￠at http://mybook.to/hisward
December 12, 2022
Oh my Goodness !!
I don’t even know how to wrap my head around what I just read. I can’t believe I read this entire book in one sitting in exactly two hours. Can you tell I was freaking invested?! I don’t even know what to say just know that I love Margot Scott and her writing literally gets better with each book.
Happy reading everyone 😍🥰
I don’t even know how to wrap my head around what I just read. I can’t believe I read this entire book in one sitting in exactly two hours. Can you tell I was freaking invested?! I don’t even know what to say just know that I love Margot Scott and her writing literally gets better with each book.
Happy reading everyone 😍🥰
April 21, 2022
First off, although I LOVE this book, please check your trigger warnings before you start. As always when dealing with dark romance, there are many different levels are darkness, and this touches a lot of those.
This book is 🔥🔥🔥. This is my first Margot Scott book, and after reading this, it DEFINETLY will not be my last. I read this book in one sitting, could not put it down. I loved getting to watch Grace figure out who she is, and grow into a strong woman. Aiden is damaged from the beginning, and you get to watch him heal without getting soft. The tension between these two is amazing. You are routing for them the whole way. Dark taboo romance, with drama, super spicy scenes, and a really hot daddy vibe. The dance studio scene … chef’s kiss! An absolute must read!
This book is 🔥🔥🔥. This is my first Margot Scott book, and after reading this, it DEFINETLY will not be my last. I read this book in one sitting, could not put it down. I loved getting to watch Grace figure out who she is, and grow into a strong woman. Aiden is damaged from the beginning, and you get to watch him heal without getting soft. The tension between these two is amazing. You are routing for them the whole way. Dark taboo romance, with drama, super spicy scenes, and a really hot daddy vibe. The dance studio scene … chef’s kiss! An absolute must read!
January 30, 2024
Listen I am all for BDSM- but…. The girl is 17 and begging for it and he is already having thoughts - this isn’t love this is grooming - and the moment she turns 18 he immediately starts “training her” and then offers her up to his 2 friends- WTF - no just no- if he was like much younger like 25 then maybe- but he’s 41 maybe even 42 (according to the math, be he has a son who is 22 and he got the girl pregnant at 19) - it never really does say how old he is. Just gives hints-
Look I get it- there is potential for a story I am sure- but not at those ages- just no
Look I get it- there is potential for a story I am sure- but not at those ages- just no
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 29, 2024
“Thank you, little one,” I rasp.
“For what, Sir?” she whispers.
“For trusting me with your precious self tonight.”
She smiles and nuzzles into my chest.
“Thank you, Sir, for trusting yourself with me.”
You know I love a good age gap. Because I read it for how forbidden it FEELS.
This book didn't feel forbidden.
Like if you take out the part where they told their ages and the fact that he's her guardian... This really was a plain romance. It had no forbidden we shouldn't be doing this feel to it.
“For what, Sir?” she whispers.
“For trusting me with your precious self tonight.”
She smiles and nuzzles into my chest.
“Thank you, Sir, for trusting yourself with me.”
You know I love a good age gap. Because I read it for how forbidden it FEELS.
This book didn't feel forbidden.
Like if you take out the part where they told their ages and the fact that he's her guardian... This really was a plain romance. It had no forbidden we shouldn't be doing this feel to it.
March 20, 2022
DNF @ 61% even though she is 18 so innocent and never been touched he abuses his power and invites 2 of his friends over to have sex with her, literally made me feel sick
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2022
This was a mess 💀
Thank you, next
▬ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: guardian x ward, age gap, BDSM
▬ 𝐭𝐰: death, abuse
Thank you, next
▬ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: guardian x ward, age gap, BDSM
▬ 𝐭𝐰: death, abuse
July 15, 2022
Yeah, I REALLY am not into BDSM and I should NOT try to read contemporary romance that has even a whiff of that culture in the storyline.
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