Used and Bound

by Abigail Davies, Selena Michaels, Y.D. La Mar

Driven by need, forced by desire.

Welcome to the dark and twisted world where these powerful men reside.

With their black souls and insatiable needs, they know what they want and will do everything in their power to take it.

Once they set their sights on a target, there’s no holding back.

Confined in a tangled web of deceit, these women must choose:

surrender or fight.

Used & Bound is a limited time collection of non-con, forced pregnancy dark romance stories from a variety of authors.

Genres: Dark Romance, Anthologies, Dark, Erotica, BDSM, Contemporary, Omegaverse

828 pages, Paperback

First published March 9, 2022

About the author

Angst • Drama • Romance

Abigail Davies is the author of over twenty novels. She writes cross-trope and loves to delve into the imaginary worlds she creates. Check out her series below:

Unseen Underground
(Mafia Romance)
Luca Beretta
Lorenzo Beretta
Mateo Caputo
Christian Gallo
Dante Beretta
Romeo Pagani


Easton Family Saga
(Duets - Angst Romance)
Free Fall
Down Fall

Defy Fate
Obey Fate

Torn Bond
Tied Bond

Fast Burn
Deep Burn

Enforce Her - Available for free on my Newsletter!

MAC Security Series
(Security Romance)
Fractured Lies
Exposed
Flying Free
The Distance Between Us
Reboot
Catching Teardrops


Confessions Series
(Romantic Comedy)
Confessions of a Klutz
Confessions of a Chatterbox
Confessions of a Frat Girl

Darker Pen name: A. A. Davies
Verboten
Coquette
Sinner

Sign up to Abigail's newsletter for free books!
https://www.abigaildaviesauthor.com/n...

Reviews

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 3 out of 5]

11 novellas, here we go!

Story 1: Wrong Desires by Kelly Kelsey

⭐⭐
A girl hooked up with her aunt's ex-husband. Guy swapped her BC with placebo.
There's nothing dark about this one.

Story 2: Caged by Felicity Brandon (writing as Elodie Crowe)

⭐⭐⭐
A post apocalyptic (I'd assumed) shit show. All women is now being hunted and captured for insemination purposes. Pretty dark (noncon and degradation). It's also not a romance. Just men raping women to populate the world again, I guess.

Story 3: Noxious by TL Mayhew

⭐⭐⭐
Air pollution is actively killing people. You have these people quarantined themselves in an airport. There's also a secret reproduction experiment going on there (almost like in Story 2). It's noncon, hypnotism and it's a polyamory sort of thing. Darkness level? Not gritty dark but disturbing dark.

Story 4: A Little More by JM Walker

⭐⭐⭐⭐
It's funny that the last novella that I read in this anthology is my favourite. This one is more of your classic fall in love at first sight romance. It's weird to know that the clichest story got me. But hey, it still got me. This one managed to combine a touch of obsession and romance perfectly. This is actually the only author I'm interested in going forward with.

Story 5: Paid in Full by Vivian Murdoch

“Oh. I think you like that idea very much. Hmmm, Penelope? You want to be our little cow?”...“That’s right, little Penelope. Should I make you moo for me?”

⭐⭐
So... You've seen the pattern here. In this one, we have a virginity auction + milking fetish + breeding kink + master/pet thing. Also MFM. As per the dark level, not as dark as I expected it be since the two masters are very committed to her.

Story 6: Stolen by Demi Lane

⭐⭐⭐
Given the length of the novella itself, I think it worked. This is actually one of the better ones in the whole anthology. The hero kidnapped his ex-girlfriend a few hours before her wedding. There's some dubcon theme running along the novella but you could tell she still has feeling for him. Dark level? Low. Sure he kidnapped her, drugged her and had sex with her dubiously, still not dark dark.

Story 7: By His Hands by A.A. Davies

⭐⭐⭐
A girl and her mom's rich boyfriend. Again the guy trying to trap her by having his kid. Surprisingly, it's not a HEA. And also not dark.

Story 8: Taken by Nikolai by Brooke Summers

⭐⭐⭐
A trained assassin and her mom's husband. Mafia romance. Again, BC swapping. Pretty decent. This one, I wouldn't mind if it was a full length novel.
Is it dark? If you call Mafia romance dark, then yes. Me? Maybe 10% dark?

Story 9: Gero by YD La Mar

⭐⭐
Omegaverse. Pretty dark. Rapes, MM, FMF, MMF, MFM, MFF actions. There were a lot of varieties as you can see. Also mpreg is possible in this world.

Story 10: Trapping His Queen by Serena Michaels

"Your beautiful hazel eyes, the white of your smile, the sharp slant of your nose, and that chin with the tiny butt in it. I wanted my children to share those features, so I stole you.”

⭐⭐⭐
So, this time it's captive mafia (maybe MC) romance. Girl is a waitress, he saw her and he took her. It's pretty dark and what I actually expected when I start this anthology. There's blood play, he drugged her and pretty much raped her. There's no grey line there. And cliffhanger.

Story 11: Claiming His Prize by Sahara Roberts

⭐
The most boring one. There's some talk of cattle legacy, lands dispute and that's it. That's all I could remember from this one. Hell, I couldn't even give you any content warning. Definitely not dark at all.

[vxhexn reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Includes individual blurbs, teasers, and more
(Last Updated: 6.4.2024 - 5 out of 11 stories reviewed)
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😈 By His Hands by A.A. Davies the pen name for Abigail Davies (MF)
RATING: 5⭐️

OVERVIEW: Olive is dragged from place to place with her mom, never staying in any one place for too long. When we meet her in “By His Hands” she’s close to finishing high school and more than ready to be away from her mom.
She thinks Apollo is just the latest in a long line of men that her mom has used to get what she wants. But she has no idea what waits for her inside his house…

⚠️ This story stops on an ‘I can do this’ type of ending - not necessarily a cliffhanger but not a HFN or HEA either.
🎉✨ GREAT NEWS: the author has announced she WILL BE bringing us A LOT more Apollo soon ✨🎉

REVIEW: Apollo isn't a man I should find as enticing as I do. He's purposely seduced the daughter of the woman he's invited to live in his house. Granted, he never expected Olive to be an adult. He was expecting some little girl to walk into his life in the hands of the woman who practically begged for his help and shelter. Yet it's the way Apollo goes after what he desires that kept me turning the page and ultimately devastated when it came to an end.

🖤 agegap romance 🖤 mom’s boyfriend 🖤 daily breeding 🖤


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😈 Taken by Nikolai by Brooke Summers (MF)
RATING: 5⭐️

✨ this story has been republished here ✨

BLURB: Falling in love with Nikolai was never the plan. The dangerous man had other ideas. He wanted my body, my love, but most of all my baby. Waht the Pakhan wants... the Pakhan gets. But loving him is so wrong... especially as he's married to my mother.
🎉 This is a complete story with a HEA

REVIEW: Having first glimpsed Yelena in Fragile Union I was curious if we'd ever get more from her character and I love the way this one turned out. As with any heroine you meet in a Brooks Summers story be prepared for a woman capable of holding her own in a male dominated mafia world. Yelena is part of the Alekseev Bratva and one of their best assets. Nokolai is the Pakhan of Texas so he's not a nobody yet it's hilarious when he realizes who the woman he's aligned himself with turns out to be. And that twist with mommy dearest was like karma, so perfect.

🖤 agegap Bratva romance 🖤 moms husband with a twist 🖤 birth control switch 🖤 kidnapping 🖤 unaliving 🖤


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😈 Gero by Y.D. La Mar (RH/ménage)
RATING: 5⭐️

✨ this story has been expanded and rereleased here ✨

BLURB: In a world strictly divided by social class, I’d grown accustomed to my position.
It was luck that took me from a poor farm boy to a servant in the castle, tending one of the Lord’s many Omegas.
Trust me, there are far worse positions than serving a lady in the harem.
As quickly as I came to this position, though, it was taken.
One moment of getting a little too close to the omega I served was enough to land me a prisoner in the dungeons with the others the Lord took favor from.
Kept in a cage, tortured or worse for the Lord’s pleasure, we’re seen as little more than animals.
But I’ve had enough. I refuse to spend the rest of my life in this filth, doomed to the hands of a Lord not worthy of his station.
My escape isn’t going to end in me running to hide.
No… I’m taking my place among the alphas, and the little omega that landed me in this dungeon— she’s going to be mine too.

REVIEW: I’ll preface this by saying this story will not be for everyone. It is dark, unconventional, and most definitely not a story about fidelity. Idalia is the third wife amongst the Alpha King’s harem and as such she’s feeling a little unwarranted jealousy. Although she is an Omega she has a whole lot of jealousy, possessive alpha female hidden inside. So when she plays her hand at being ‘in control’ it backfires and shes subsequently punished.

Gero was once a beta who served the Idalia as her royal servant. And after her failed bedding attempt, a ploy to make her husband jealous, Gero has been relegated to the dungeons of the palace. There he forms a bond with his cell mate Bernard. It’s a union formed out of companionship but it’s a stronger bond that I first realized. When the uprising comes and Bernard assumes his new station next to Gero I was so happy for him. Idalia may be a jealous little thing but boy does she know how to service the ones she adores.

I look forward to where this story goes as we end on a cliffhanger with a war on the horizon.

🖤 MM + MMF + MFM 🖤 knotting 🖤 noncon 🖤 unaliving 🖤 watersports/GS 🖤


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😈 A Little More by J.M. Walker (MF)

REVIEW: From the moment Logan laid eyes on the beautiful brown eyes beauty in his coffee shop he was obsessed. And from the moment Hadley met Logan she couldn’t get enough of his presence, his touch, his everything. And when these two come together it’s pure carnal, no holds barred debauchery. Everything that Logan says he means, even when Hadley objects. And when he says she’ll be pregnant before their wedding or immediately after he wasn’t joking. His methods are a new one for the trope but an ever so common one that happens all too often. I enjoyed this cute story told through the present and the past. It’s a complete story with a HEA ending.

🖤 mutual obsession 🖤 stalker vibes 🖤


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😈 Trapping His Queen by Selena Michaels (MF)
REVIEW: 4⭐️

✨ this story has been expanded and rereleased here ✨

BLURB: Alexei Petrov. The man. The myth. The legend... and a pain in my ass. I was just a waitress working in this small town praying for a way out. A way away from him. Then Alexei stole me, used me, broke me. Now, I found myself back in the arms of a man that I hate. My child is at risk. What would you do? Better the devil you know then risk my life and heart to the devil I can't resist.

REVIEW: moderately abrupt ending, I hit ‘about the author’ as was like… oh hell no!! That cannot be it, no continue, no nothing 🤬🥺😫 Then I remembered the author saying that an expanded version was coming soon.

Sloane Williams was minding her own business, keeping her head down trying to stay off the radar of the MC life she escaped. As a sweetbutt she caught the eye of the club Prez and everything changed. Luck have it she was able to get out. But in her avoidance she missed the man stalking her. Alexei Petrov was essentially kicked out of Russia by a brother who stole his throne. Bent on regaining his rightful place he knows an heir will secure his future. So when he saw Sloane and was instantly enamored with her… we’ll everything. He hatched a plan to take her, breed her, and make her his Queen.

What I loved most was how even with all his evil doings he cherished Sloane. He may have tied her up and used her in all the normal ways, but he also pampered her. He brought her her favorite foods. He did his best to ensure her hair was taken care, and planned for a professionals assistant. He learned her body and her reactions so he could better care for her. It was all too endearing for a kidnapper. I can’t wait for more from this sinnamon roll of a man.

🖤 Devil’s MC 🖤 Russian Mafia 🖤 kidnapping 🖤


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--unread stories--
😈 Paid in Full by Vivian Murdoch

✨ this story has been republished here ✨

BLURB: At The Keep, when the House plays, it plays to win.
When the stakes are this high, everyone takes notice.
Brought in as a payment for her father’s numerous debts, Penelope is thrust into the seedy underbelly of a world she knows nothing about.
With her innocence up for auction, she’s forced to make a choice - run or submit.
Working blurb. It’s a full short story, but I’m going to expand and make it a full length book and have it start off a series.
🙃 Complicated ending with 'The End... For Now'

🖤 HuCow story 🖤


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😈 Wrong Desires by Kelly Kelsey

✨ this story has been republished here ✨

BLURB: When I agreed to give my ex wife’s niece an internship, it wasn’t out of the kindness of my heart it was because my wife requested it in the divorce. I wouldn’t have much to do with her and how much trouble could a nineteen your old girl be anyway?
Then little Aspen Kincaid turns up at my door, the polite girl only wanted to introduce herself. Little did she know what she set in motion. One look at my little lamb and I knew I would make her mine in every way possible, no matter the cost.
She thinks our relationship has an expiration date. It doesn’t.
She thinks I will let her go. I won’t.
Little Lamb is mine…I will make sure of it.
🎉 Complete story with 'The End'


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😈 Stolen by Demi Lane

📝 as of June 2024 there is no information on this story being republished

BLURB: I'm having the wedding every girl dreams of. The gown, the flowers, the guests. It's all happening...
Until Cade shows up in my dressing room. The first boy I ever kissed. The first man I loved. He's returned after years with one single mission: Me.
Cade steals me a mere hour before I'm to say my vows, carrying me out of the city, out of the state, and out of the life I knew. When I wake, I'm tied to his bed, and he's removing my dress, vowing to hold me to promises I made when I was young and naïve and he was my whole world. I know he means it when he says I'll never leave him again. I'm his now. I always have been, and we'll be together forever.
For better or worse.


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😈 Caged by Elodie Crowe a pen name for Felicity Brandon

✨ this story has been republished here ✨

📝 note: this was Elodie Crowd’s debut story connected to her series Cowered. Grab ‘Dark Origins’ for FREE from Bookfunnel — https://dl.bookfunnel.com/fe34k4fk8i and read the rest of the books here

BLURB: No freedom, No mercy, No hope.
On the run, Eloise is fighting the tide.
With nowhere to go and no one to trust,
It’s only a matter of time before she’s captured.
When she wakes to find her liberty seized,
A new nightmare awaits.
She must resist the touch of her captor,
But if she wants to survive,
She may not have a choice.
With this gothic and thought-provoking story, Elodie Crowe delivers a gut-wrenching dystopian future which reminds us that no one is safe until everyone is safe.

🖤 gothic romance 🖤 gut-wrenching dystopian future 🎉 Complete story with 'The End'


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😈 Noxious by T.L. Mayhew

📝 as of June 2024 there is no information on this story being republished

Hints: the story is about a group of people quarantined at an airport. Only problem, a reproductive division of the government has set up shop there too.


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😈 Claiming His Prize by Sahara Roberts

📝 FUN FACTS FROM THE AUTHOR: I was working on a trilogy, Billionaire Heirs, and found myself talking about a character’s ancestors so much I had to go back and write the book. Claiming His Prize, my contribution to Used & Bound, is the story of Roman de Marco, part of the New York Mafia, and Lupita Torres, the daughter of a South Texas Rancher.
Roman’s in town for a “business trip” when he meets Lupita and her family. He’s not used to being questioned when he gives an order, and he’s not going to wait to get anyone to agree to what he wants once he makes up his mind.

Read Vindictive Heir the first book in the Billionaire Heirs Trilogy here





𝓋𝓍𝒽𝑒𝓍𝓃 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈
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[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short stories of varying darkness, I will review each in order below as I read them, in the order they appear in the anthology.

Wrong Desires by Kelly Kelsey
pgs 8-53, 1%-7%
2.5 Stars
The story starts on page 13, with some quotes and other extras on pgs 8-13. This one is not dark in tone at all, probably just considered dark to some readers because of the trigger warning for forced pregnancy. It has bullet points of elements I like, such as the forced pregnancy, age gap, even the slightly taboo aspect of her being his ex-wife's niece but I just didn't like it that much. Even though expected for a short story I didn't like the insta-ness between them both (though she has had a crush on him since age 13) - I just didn't feel any connection between them at all. And really, nothing much happens except for the sex, which is fine usually but somehow felt off for me, and too repetitive without them doing anything else in between (besides thinking about having sex using the same wording that would be used during the actual sex scenes). It does have the often asked for (in online groups) scenario of the H pushing his c*m back inside h each time they do it though, if that is something you are looking for.

Caged by Felicity Brandon writing as Elodie Crowe
pgs 57-112, 7%-16%
4 Stars
I quite liked this one and its dystopian, government forced-breeding program plot (even though that is especially scary with what is happening in the world right now). It sets up the world in a way that allows for more stories to come, and I thought it was written well and had decent steam, if not amazing. Nothing really romantic to it, but I was okay with that.

Noxious by TL Mayhew
pgs 115-158, 16%-23%
3.25 stars
Like the story before it this one is a government forced breeding program but I didn't like it quite as much. There is very little interaction between the h and the men she is forced to procreate with and the sex scenes (if you can call them that) are super brief. More attention is given to her setting and the slowly unfolding reveal of the scenario she is in, the details of which are vague all the way through, with a couple characters that are never really explained and that I couldn't even remember who they were when they appeared. Again, no romance (which is fine, just mentioning for other readers).

A Little More by JM Walker
pgs 159-212, 23%-30%
2.5 Stars
This one frustrated me because I can see potential in the CNC relationship (one of my fave kinks) between the leads, but it needs strong editing for incorrect sentence structure and comma usage, and really the past/present structure of the story is completely unnecessary and doesn't do the story any favors. I kept thinking there was going to be a reveal of the MMC being her r@pist in the past or something but nope, there was no reveal of any kind. The forced pregnancy seemed tagged on to allow it to fit into the theme of this anthology, and there were so many repetitive sentences/ideas throughout from both characters that I was irritated by the end (Yes, yes, you've said that many times in your internal monologue already!). Anyway, I only get this mad at ones that have potential and fall short; hopefully other readers like it better than I did as is.

Paid in Full by Vivian Murdoch
pgs 214-280, 30%-41%
3.5 Stars
I thought this one was written well and I did really like it, though it is one of those kinds of stories that I have to be in the mood for because it has some kinks that I don't always love based on my mood (such as hucow/pet play, medical, etc) and it wasn't quite in the mood for them when I read it; another time I might have rated a full 4. I loved the MMF aspect (wish that whole thing and the triad's relationship was expanded on even, in fact) and the dirty talk. This was my first time reading this author but I already had some of her books on my TBR to check out and reading this confirms I want to get to those sooner rather than later.

Stolen by Demi Lane
pgs 283-355, 41%-53%
4 Stars
I really liked this one that had a little second chance going on; with an obsessively in love MMC taking his woman before she could marry someone else and hiding her away until she accepted that he was protecting her from a forced life she didn't want. It has the kind of non/dub-con vibes I love and was written well. This was a new author to me so I will be checking to see if they have other books published that interest me too.

By His Hands by A.A. Davies
pgs 358-400, 53%-59%
4 Stars
I also really liked this one, which had some of my favorite tropes: age gap, H is h's mom's new boyfriend, daddy-lite talk (could have used more of that, tbh) and H deciding to mess with h's birth control. Things happened a little too quickly and instalove for my tastes, I would prefer it be expanded all the way through, with more delicious forbidden moments before the main events. It doesn't have a complete story/ending, so I assume the author plans to continue and I would love it if some expansion of this part of the story occurred at the same time.

Taken By Nikolai by Brooke Summers
pgs 402-479, 59%-71%
2.25 Stars
This one frustrated me because I really liked the plot/concept, but the execution and editing was terrible. As one of the longest stories in the anthology (so far) it had room to do the good ideas justice but instead it was bogged down by unnecessary side characters, head-shaking predictability, and repetitive internal monologue. There weren't many scenes of the leads actually together and I never felt any connection between them as a result. By the end I wanted to skim because I was so irritated by the bad writing and editing.

Gero by YD La Mar
pgs 482-548, 71%-82%
3 Star
I think more than anything I wasn't in the mood for this one when I read it. It has lots of dirty stuff, which I generally like, but just wasn't feeling at the time. It is dark, set in a fantasy omegaverse/fantasy world with medieval vibes and without gender constructs, and has some necro and other things some readers might find off-putting. Some grammar errors but not an extreme amount, and I think it tries to end in a deliberately incomplete way, but doesn't quite pull off what it is trying to do.

Trapping His Queen by Selena Michaels
pgs 551-595, 82%-88%
3 Stars
I liked how the H was OTT crazy into the h in this one, and as a result she was having none of it (rightly so), even though really when he has her he is going to treat her so well! However the pacing felt really off to me all the way through, and there is too much unknown about her past - maybe that will come out in a future book (this one ends abruptly so I assume it is a prequel?) but it kind of had a vibe like we were supposed to already know or just be satisfied with what we got too so I am not sure on that. I'm also not sure if I am interested in reading any further if it is going to be (or already is) a full book.

Claiming His Prize by Sahara Roberts
pgs 598-667, 88%-99%
3.75 Stars
I liked this one quite a bit - it was written well with just a handful of errors and felt like a complete, well thought out story. It wasn't really all that dark, and it was a little too instalove for my tastes, but I liked the plot and setting and I am interested in reading more from this author.

Average rating: 3.25
Of the 11 stories in the anthology, I would be interested in reading more of/from 5 of them/the authors.

[Varya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up in the hopes of reading some hot and sizzling non-con or dub con scenes.....and although I did get those, they were combined with a trope that i despise with all of my being....Forced pregnancy. Literally every story in this anthology had forced pregnancy trope so I couldn't enjoy it.

The 5 stars are for the one and only story I did enjoy....or rather I fell in love with, that is, GERO BY YD LA MAR.
It was dark (pitch black more like 😈🖤) and I LOVED reading it. I am definitely gonna check out more of this author.

[Kathyjacks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these stories. Most were breeders!

[ErikaWasReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s no secret that I am a fan of anthologies. It’s a great way to try new authors, especially when there are so many KU books available.

I feel like calling this a “dark” romance anthology isn’t quite right. It was definitely more of “alpha holes with a breeding fetish,” as every story includes pregnancy, and all but one was forced. I also learned about somethings that I did not know existed thanks to Vivian Murdoch and reading my first omega verse story.

The standouts for me were Felicity Brandon/Elodie Crow, Selena Micheals, and Sahara Roberts.

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Wrong Desires - Kelly Kelsey ⭐️

This felt like a Wattpad story inspired by 50 Shades. I get that it's a short story story, but some description would be nice. Everything is he did this. Then he did this. He did that. Never once are you actually placed into a scene or given any actual description - sorry, why am I reading a steamy anthology if smexy time boils down to sentences that are just, “he stuck it in.”

Caged - Felicity Brandon writing as Elodie Crow ⭐���⭐️⭐️⭐️

This reminded me of a darker Handmaid’s Tale - I know, it’s dark on its own. Enjoyable short story, and it makes me want to check out more by the author.

Noxious - TL Mayhew ⭐️⭐️⭐️

An interesting post-apocalyptic story set in an airport. I had read the author’s book in the Dirty Heroes collection and hadn’t been a fan, so I was glad this anthology allowed me to read something else.

A Little More - JM Walker⭐️⭐️

This story had me wishing for a little more *ba dum tssh* I know it was a short story, but I was like, “why?” I wish some more explanation for why Hadley and Logan were into each other and what they do.

Paid in Full - Vivian Murdoch

*I deleted this portion of my review and removed the star rating for this story on 08.03.25*

Stolen - Demi Lane ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another well-done short story. I liked the way the author used newspaper headlines to tell parts of the story. I knew the author’s name sounded familiar -- I liked her Kavari Masters series, but it was nice to read something of hers in a contemporary setting.

By His Hand - A.A. Davies ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oooh...that one definitely did *not* end the way I expected.

Taken by Nikolai - Brooke Summers ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m always down for a good mafia story, so this one was fun.

Gero - YD La Mar 🤔🤔🤔

Uhm, so I’ve read one omega verse short story in another anthology, and it wasn’t this omega verse-y. So this was a whole new experience for me.

Trapping his Queen - Selena Michaels ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another good short story that has me interested in reading more by this new to me author.

Claiming his Prize - Sahara Roberts ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another new to me author, this was a fun short story that serves as an intro to the family for a full-length novel, which I’ll definitely grab.

[Tabatha Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology certainly doesn’t hold back. I was very surprised by some of the stories. I really liked a few of them but there were definitely a few I wish I hadn’t bothered with. Reading anthologies always holds the risk of unfinished stories but it wasn’t clear to me if the ones that lacked a full HEA were unfinished or straining to be edgy by not having the required HEA that defines the romance part of dark romance. Realistic or not dark ROMANCE has to have an HEA to be considered a ROMANCE, otherwise it’s just erotica or dark fiction which are both fine but do not belong in an anthology claiming to be dark romance.

Wrong Desires by Kelly Kelsey - cute instalove, HEA
Caged by Elodie Crow - no HEA, erotica
Noxious by TL Mayhew - questionable HEA
A little more by JM Walker - clever alternates between past and present, HEA
Paid in Full by Vivian Murdoch - slave, HuCow, implied possible HEA
Stolen by Demi Lane, really good captive story, HEA
By His Hands by A. A. Davies, story was ok but no HEA, not sure if story will continue?
Taken by Nikolai by Brooke Summers, stepfather, instalove with HEA
Gero by YD Lmar - omegaverse, no HEA/resolution
Trapping His Queen by Selena Michaels - no HEA/resolution
Claiming His Prize by Sahara Roberts sweet HEA

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wrong Desires: by Kelly Kelsey

Talk about a man possessed. Ethan is possessed from the first moment he meets Aspen again and is determined to make her his however he has to do it. Including forcing her to get pregnant by messing with her birth control. Aspen tries fighting it but she has been in love with Ethan since she was a teenager. I loved it! It was a great little story.

Caged: by Elodie Crowe

I'm not sure how I felt about this story... It was definitely on the darker side. But there wasn't any romance to it at all. Just used and bound as the title of the anthology says. Although I do have some questions remaining after reading the story... I'm not sure I would be happy with any of the answers :)) So maybe in this case its better to be left hanging with the questions? I'm also not sure if I would like for the author to expand this story. If it included Eloise somehow escaping her situation.. I am all for that... not so sure I would be happy if that included Dylan in the mix. I really couldn't stand him.

Noxious: by TL Mayhew

This was a messed up little tale... okay it was entirely fucked up and I loved it! Although it was a little weird not knowing the FMC's name until almost the end of the book. I have to hand it to Victoria though.. she was willing to risk it all to get what she wanted, even though it didn't work out in the end. In the end she seems almost accepting of her situation. I have to wonder.. is that the drugs and hypnosis talking? Or did she really find some kind of acceptance with what was happening to her? I wouldn't mind reading an expanded story of this to get those questions answered.

A little More: by JM Walker

Another one I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. It has dark themes... and the premise is there.. but never quite reached? You get glimpses that Logan could be very dark and maybe even cruel at times.. but it never quite comes to fruition. I would have liked to see some of those darker sides. Hadley... so many mixed feelings about this FMC.. she is a basket case. Her internal dialogue is just all over the place. You never know if she is coming or going.. I was starting to wonder if she had sever mental issues. With good cause after what she had been through.. but still. I think a little therapy would have helped her in the long run.

Paid in Full: by Vivian Murdoch

OMG I loved this freaking story! I need more of it now! Vivian Murdoch blew me away with this story! It was so freaking hot! It was amazing reading about the relationship between Penny, Peter and Logan. After the horrid life Penny went through with the one person that was supposed to protect her.. Her father. I was glad to see her end up with 2 men that will always keep her safe and protect her. While also giving her everything that she desires.

Stolen: by Demi Lane

I can't say enough how much I freaking loved this story! Cade was one over the top possessive alpha! He was gonna get his girl no matter what it took! And it took a lot to finally get his girl to see all the brainwashing her parents had done to her. The story was heartbreaking but also heat warming to see how much Cade loved his girl and what he was willing to do to make sure she was where she belonged. With him!

By His Hands: A.A. Davies

Well hell! I was kind of disappointed with the way this ended. I was rooting for Apollo to win Olive over... but it somehow backfired on him. I loved that she is standing up for herself and doing what she thinks is right. She was tired of being controlled by everyone around her. But I loved her with Apollo also and wanted to see her happy with him. I think I am going to cry at that ending! Or maybe make up my own where they ride off into the sunset together to their HEA! :))

Taken By Nikolai: by Brooke Summers

This story had more twists and turns than a roller coaster. I love a strong heroine. Yelena is a strong heroine... but she did make a few stupid mistakes in this story. She let her guard down in several places where she never should have... specially knowing the things that she does and who she is supposed to be. That stops her from being one of the best that I have read. I still loved her character though. I'm marking it down as being struck stupid by Nikolai :)) That man knocked her over from the get go! Or should I say up? :)) I loved the story and I wouldn't mind reading more about them in the future.

Gero: by YD LA Mar

This book held me enthralled until the very last word! I have so many questions after reading it. I have a sneaking suspicion of an answer or two... but time will only tell if I am right or not. I do hope that YD LA Mar expands this story. I need the answers!

Trapping His Queen: by Selena Michaels

I'm not really sure how to feel about this story. I feel like I was dropped in the middle of the story and I am completely lost and fumbling around trying to make heads or tails of what is going on. I don't like that at all. So many questions about what is going on and very few answers are given.

Claiming His Prize: by Sahara Roberts

I loved this story! It wasn't like the others in this anthology at all but I still loved reading it. It was actually kind of sweet in several places. Roman does have the possessive alpha vibes going on. He is determined that nothing is going to hurt his woman and there will be hell to pay for anybody that even tries. Although I am curious if Lupita and Roman managed to break the family curse and have more then one child... Maybe I will find that out in the next book.

[Katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did they even edit this book? On one page alone I found over five major errors. I can’t bring myself to take the book seriously. Instead of reading, I’ve been marking and noting every single mistake I can find. That’s how you know it’s a bad book.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Average Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Reviews are listed in the order read, not the order in the book.

By His Hands, by AA Davies. 4⭐️
53-59, pgs 358-400. Tropes: age gap, stepdad-ish (moms bf), under age (but over age of consent) h, forced preg/bc tampering. This was a great story to start out with, I was in love with the writing, the plot, the forbiddeness. It was looking at 5 stars, right up until the non-ending. It’s not that is wasn’t a HEA, it could have been in a way, but it was a very unsatisfying spot to end their story. My fingers are crossed that this one will be expanded into a full length book.

Noxious, by TL Mayhew. 3.5 ⭐️
16-23%, pgs 115-158. Tropes: post-apocalyptic, mfm, breeding, noncon.
I am not really into dystopian or post-apocalyptic settings, but once I got used to it, I quite enjoyed this story. It felt like a complete story, and I always appreciate that in an anthology. My only complaint, and it’s not really a complaint at all, is that I would have loved to have seen more scenes with each and both of the guys, and if it gets expanded, would love to see some of the missing time between the last chapter and the epilogue, there was quite a bit of a time-jump.

Trapping His Queen, by Selena Michaels. 3.5 ⭐️
82-88%, pgs 551-596. Tropes: Noncon, breeding, Stockholm, age gap, mafia/MC.
This story had an abrupt cliffhanger. Not even a sort of HFN or could-be ending, like in By His Hands, but it just stopped. I was all in with it, and probably looking at 5 stars, up until that point. And while I’m not really a fan of MC books, and in this one she was even a sweetbutt, I am really looking forward to seeing how it all plays out, so PLEASE let there be a full book one day!

Wrong Desires, by Kelly Kelsey. 4 ⭐️
0-7%, pgs 8-53. Tropes: Exes niece, age gap, boss, bc tampering.
I loved this story, and it felt complete. His obsession of her is felt right from the start, and it was intense. This story was detailed enough that it doesn't need to be expanded into something full length, but I also wouldn't mind if it was.

A Little More, by JM Walker. 2.75 ⭐️
23-31%, pgs 159-211. Tropes: Not really sure there were any.
This story felt more creepy to me than anything else. He was too controlling of her, and not in a good way. I also felt like the past and present jumps wasn’t necessary. I am never a fan of that, but it really didn’t work in a story that is barely over 50 pages. It would have flowed better as a linear timeline. And lastly, I kept waiting for some big reveal of why he was doing what he did. Quite honestly, it got into my head just before the end, that they could possibly be siblings or something, the way that he was acting so cagey. But it just kind of ended, with no explanation of why he felt the need to knock her up. I just needed A Little More.

Caged, by Felicity Brandon & Elodie Crowe. 2 ⭐️
7-16%, pgs 57-113. Tropes: Dystopian, abduction, breeding slave
So far this one is my least favorite. Quite honestly, it was likely doomed before I even started it, as end of days and slave type stories hardly ever do it for me. But this one was confusing on top of that. The “Hero” (not even an anti-hero) was back and forth, and just when I was thinking that I would like him, he’d go back to being douchey. The story’s fate was sealed for me, when it ended with nothing even close to an HEA.

Paid In Full, by Vivian Murdoch. 4 ⭐️
31-41%, pgs 214-280. Tropes: Abduction, MMF, medical kink, lactation, virginity auction
Another great story that I loved. I am not typically a fan of the slave auction theme, but in this case she was bought by someone who for the most part cares about her, or at least about what happens to her, even if that is only for the sake of the other part of their threesome, who actually seemed to feel something for her. It was basically a complete story, though I could absolutely do with an expanded version.

Gero, by YD La Mar. 3 ⭐️
71-82%, pgs 482-548. Tropes: Omegaverse MMF, necrophilia
I’m not sure what I think about this one. It wasn’t bad, not at all, but the whole Omegaverse concept confuses me. I liked the interactions between the throuple, though I felt like Bernhard was nothing more than a side piece, possible because he didn’t have any sections told from his point of view. And I am shocked at how all of the screwing of dead bodies didn’t bother me! I felt sure that would completely turn me off. That’s not to say that it did anything for me, but it didn’t leave me with a negative feeling. I probably would have liked it more had I not read the ‘epilogue��� because it would have felt like a more complete story. How it did end though, I would hope that there will be more coming, because too much was left unresolved.

Claiming His Prize, by Sahara Roberts. 3.75 ⭐️
88-99%, pgs 598-668. Tropes: ?
I really liked this story, though it was mostly instalust and sweet. There was one scene of unaliving a bad guy, but it wasn’t enough to make this a dark story. Even the breeding seemed to take a back seat. Quite the divergence from every other in this anthology.

Stolen, by Demi Lane. 4.5 ⭐️
41-53%, pgs 283-355. Tropes: Kidnap, second chance, celebrity/socialite
I’m not sure why it is, but I’m rating this one the highest and yet I don’t think it is my favorite of the anthology. But I did really love it. It’s a complete story, though there could be an expansion to full length just to fill in some of the time jumps, and to give us more of the history between these two. But the darkness is on point with what I like in a Stockholm and noncon story.

Taken by Nikolai, by Brooke Summers. 3 ⭐️
59-71%, pgs 402-480. Tropes: Age gap/stepdad, Bratva, bc tampering
This might have been my favorite as far as storylines go, however the amount of errors really took me out of it, to the point that I just couldn’t enjoy it. The little twist regarding the assassin was obvious as soon as it was mentioned, but I’m not sure that the author meant it to be a surprise. I would love to see this extended to full length and edited.

[Samantha Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Wrong Desires by Kelly Kelsey*

This novella is 🔥🔥🔥🔥!!

Wrong Desires is a taboo romance. Make sure to check the TW are the beginning.

Ethan has just finalized his divorce and part of his ex wifes stipulations was that her niece, Aspen, gets to intern at his company. She will also be living in his building.

Aspen is 19, and excited to intern with Ethan. He is the best at what he does and she wants to learn from him. She has always had a crush on Ethan, but she knows he will never see her as anything more than his ex's niece.

Can i just say, I will be Ethans Little Lamb anytime? Holy crap this man is possessive, hot and will do anything to keep Aspen as his.

If you want a hot, spicy, dirty, quick read, you are gonna want to read this novella!!!

[Liz (LoverOfBooks80) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for Wrong Desires : I loved this. The instant attraction, the certainty of what he wanted and loved how he got the girl. Super hot scenes. Perfect age gap romance 🖤

[Natasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to dnf this...

I'm a sick twisted bitch because I like romance/smut that is just totally f'ed up. But man, all these stories were so.... amateur. The writing and storytelling was just super cheesy for every story and very elementary. It is very possible to have ridiculous smutty outrageously over the top, unrealistic plots, characters, and sex and still have it be well developed and written, but this is just not it. Sorry... It wasn't engaging.

[Lynden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hhmmm, I did not enjoy this, unfortunately.

I was excited about this release and I pre-ordered but I don't think most of these stories belong in an anthology claiming to be dark romance.

I was bothered by the fact that most of them have no HEA, (which is a big no-no for me!!!) and some are unfinished! I see that happening a lot (more and more) in anthologies, and I just don't appreciate that.

It's not about the trope. I can definitely enjoy forced pregnancy if done well, but in all honesty, this was just a sh*t show, so amateurish that is laughable, some stories were plain cheesy with their unbelievable instalust and others were WTF icky. Cringey and just bad, y'all.

Lots of triggers, major editing issues, and some were better than others but all in all a charade of plots and a blatant show of badly executed craft.

[Lana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average rating, 2 stars

Some serious spoilers ahead:

Wrong Desires by Kelly Kelsey 2 stars

DualPOV
The hero is Ethan who is 20 years older than the heroine, Aspen. Ethan is recently divorced from Aspen's aunt, Katrina, and a stipulation of the divorce is to accept Aspen for an internship at his company. When Aspen arrives, Ethan is instantly attracted to her and wants to make her his. Aspen always had a crush on Ethan and fantasized about him but still feels guilty for betraying her aunt.
The two start a sexual relationship and Ethan wants to breed her and keep her forever, while Aspen thinks this is only a temporary hook up. Ethan replaces Aspen's birth control with placebos and a few months later, gets her pregnant. Katrina finds out and cuts Aspen out of her life. Ethan keeps the birth control switch a secret. Aspen and Ethan have a baby girl and months later, he proposes. HEA

Caged by Felicity Brandon writing as Elodie Crowe 1 star
This one cannot even be called a romance, let alone dark romance. It's just all assault and no happy ending.

Elise's POV only
Eloise is on the run in this dystopian future, where women have been dehumanized as animals, cattle, and are being hunted, caged, and raped to breed the new generation.
Eloise is caught and taken as one of the women forced to breed a child. Dylan chooses her for himself, hoses her down, puts her on a leash and makes her crawl to her doom. He ties her up and tapes a vibrator to her, torturing her with orgasms and makes her blow him before raping her. He makes her wait gagged until he can test her urine to find out of shes pregnant. She is. She is put back in her cage, wondering if he will come back. The end.

Noxious by TL Mayhew 1 star

Victoria's POV only
Dystopian world where gas from appliances is toxic, people are quarantined in an airport. Victoria watches her fiance, Elijah, die and is then taken by the Sergeant and his team to be a part of the mating/breeding program. They tie women up, ass up, men have sex with them and repeat until they get pregnant. The women are hypnotized to be compliant.
Victoria is hypnotized to think it is Elijah who is taking her virginity, but it is really Anthony (the Sergeant) and Travis. Victoria gets help to escape by another women but she is shot and killed and Victoria is taken back.
Time passes, Victoria has two boys, each fathered by one of the men, and is now pregnant again. They continue to have sex with all the women. The end.

A Little More by JM Walker 3 stars
Told in past and present dual POV,
Hadley is a rape survivor, struggling with nightmares of her assault. She meets Logan years later in a coffee shop and are instantly attracted to each other. Logan is immediately obsessed and OTT when it comes to Hadley.
He hides his dark, obsessive side from her until they are engaged. Their sex life becomes violent and obsessive. Logan takes control and takes everything from Hadley, even when she says no.
Hadley accepts this dynamic, even craves it and instigates it by refusing some of Logan's demands.
Logan takes his obsession and control further by slipping Hadley antibiotics to mess with her birth control and get her pregnant before their wedding. He succeeds and Hadley is upset at his deception but not for all. She admits she likes and needs for him to take control and Logan likes to be the one to push her.

Paid In Full by Vivian Murdoch 1 star
Not really a fan of the HuCow, breeding operation thing. Wtf, if someone asks you to moo, run away.

3 POV, MFM / MMF
Penny's dad has gambling debts and used Penny as collateral and lost. Penny was taken and is inspected by a doctor in front of a crowd before they bid on her. Peter buys her and shares her with Nick.
Penny's virginity is taken in front of a crowd, including her tied-up father. Penny gets off on the experience.
She is then taken to a cell-like room and stays there as part of her punishment for trying to run away. She is "trained" to lactate so Peter can drink her milk and she will be kept as their pet cow until she can get pregnant.
Penny walks through a hallway on her hands and knees with a cow tail and gets felt up by another member of the club. Peter beats him up for touching their property.
Penny is pregnant and finally feels like she belongs because she is cared for and admired.


Stolen by Demi Lane 2.5 stars

Lyra is getting married to Blaine after their families arranged it as a business deal. Case shows up to take Lyra away. Cade was her boyfriend 4 years ago when she was still a minor and her parents wouldnt let her leave with Cade when he was going to be shipped off in the military. Lyra had no choice but to leave with her parents so they wouldnt accuse Cade of kidnapping and Cade had to let her go.

Now, Cade , who has been celibate this whole time, drugs Lyra to knock her out and kidnaps her from her own wedding. He takes her to a remote cabin and removes her IUD to get her pregnant asap. He chains her up, takes her virginity and makes her like it against her common sense. Cade shows her he still loves her, wouldn't hurt her, and will take care of her. Lyra has always been a tool for her parents to become financially and socially successful and her fiance, Blaine, has been cheating on her the whole time. Lyra is upset to realise all of this but still feels like she should fight against Cade to get back. After 6 weeks, she eventually gives in and admits she loves him too. They hatch a plan where Lyra can go back home to take her Inheritance from her parents so she and Cade could live a life they want and provide for their future children. Cade hits Lyra to make her bruise and she runs her wrists raw with rope to stage her escape.
6 months later, she's cut ties with her family and loving with Cade in their cabin, pregnant.


By His Hands by AA Davies / Abigail Davies 3.5 stars

Dual POV
DD/LG
Olive is a 17 year old whose mother moves from place to place, chasing her next fling and never settling for too long. Her mother's newest hookup is Apollo who let's Jessie and her daughter move in with him because his large house is too quiet and lonely. He is surprised to find her daughter is a mature Olive who he is instantly attracted to. Apollo puts up with Jessie for longer than he would have for the sake of keeping Olive under his roof. One night, Olive and Apollo take it all the way and he claims her virginity. They continue to hook up secretly while Apollo funds Jessie's trips to keep her out of the house. Apollo is desperate to keep Olive, worried her mother will take her away, that he steals Olive's birth control and continues to have unprotected sex with her to bind her to him. Jessie eventually catches Olive and Apollo at a hotel and takes Olive away since she is not yet 18. Apollo tells Olive his plan and that when she learns she is pregnant, to call and find him.
8 weeks later, after Olive's mother leaves her after turning 18, Olive looks at her positive pregnancy tests and decides she does not want to be controlled by anyone else or rely on them. She doesnt call Apollo.
It ends there! Gah I definitely wanted more form this one!


Taken by Nikolai by Brooke Summers 3 stars

Dual POV
Yelena works for her grandfather as the assassin known only as The Bullet. She was set up by someone close to her who knew her identity and was shot. While recuperating, she visits her mother, Adele, and her new husband, Nikolai. Nikolai is instantly attracted to Lena, Lena keeps her distance from her mother's husband. What she doesn't know is that their marriage is not legal (unbeknownst to Adele) so that he could get information from her as to who the Bullet is and hire the assassin for his own use.
Nikolai and Lena have sex and Lena avoids him for days, making him even more OTT antsy for her. He follows her to his club where he saves her from getting raped after she was ruffled by one of his employees.
They two keep up their relationship, Lena unable to deny their attraction. Nikolai switches out her birth control pills to get her pregnant asap without her knowledge.
Nikolai figures out Lena is the Bullet and continues to investigate what Adele knows. Adele attacks her daughter because she is jealous of her hooking up with her "husband" and knocks her out, giving her to the Croats, who she hired before in her set up where Lena got shot. Nikolai gets to Lena in time before she is raped, but she is still beaten badly. He has Adele taken and he gets the truth from her of how she tried to kill Lena 3 times now, and that Nikolai was never married to her before Nik kills her.
Lena wakes up to learn she is pregnant. She sees the guilt on Nik's face and he admits he switched her birth control to placebos. She is mad but quickly gives in when he says he did it because he loves her. He tells her all about his plan with her mom and that she now dead.
Epilogue, 7 months later, Lena carried out a hit against the Croats leader so he doesn't come after her and her family.
End.

Gero by YD La Mar DNF

Trapping His Queen by Selena Michaels 1 star
This one had a lot of holes in the story to the point you were definitely missing details that would have helped to understand the heroine's actions.

Dual POV
Sloane was kidnapped by Alexi after leaving work at the diner on night. He had been watching her weeks and became obsessed with making her his queen and breeding his children. He drugged her and brought her to his cabin where he tied her down and had sex with her. He knew she was not on birth control, she admits it herself, so he continues with this routine until she falls pregnant. Once she is, she is protective of her baby when she has stomach cramps and discovers she is bleeding. She demands Alexi take her to the hospital but he refuses, thinking she is lying, until she pulls his knife on him and demands again. He takes her there, where the doctors tell him she almost had a miscarriage.
Alexi takes her back home for bed rest. Sloane makes her escape by stealing Alexi's car keys and Alexi tried to shoot at her as she escapes.

She drives to Megan and Josh's cabin, asking for help. Josh works for the MC President, Damon, who had sent members to look for Sloane when she was missing. Alexi had lied to them about her whereabouts, obviously.
For some reason, Sloane thinks Damon is worse than Alexi and does not want to go with him, but Josh already called for him. There was a mention that Josh and Megan were not going to let Sloane "call in a favor" after "last time" when she "betrayed them". Big question mark there.
Damon arrives, and the story ends with Sloane thinking she will not tell Damon about being pregnant or he will kill it, but either way, she will not survive.

Claiming His Prize by Sahara Roberts 2 stars

Lupita lives with her mother and father on their ranch. It is struggling to be successful because coyotes are running drugs through their land, and shooting their cattle. Roman arrives to buy or lease the land so he and his brother can use it for their business. Jorge Torres refuses the offer.
Lupita and Roman have a spark of attraction but Lupita tries to ignore it.
Her father is very protective of her, even wishing he had a son instead so be could help out on the ranch. Lupita and Jorge are supposed to meet half way on the road so Lupita could hand him some clips he needed to work when Lupita's tires get shot and her windows smashed, and gets taken by Blanco.
Roman arrives to talk to Hugo and Blanco to figure out the hold up with the land when he finds Blanco carrying in a tied up Lupita.
Roman kills Blanco, which helps Hugo's problem with his recklessness. Roman goes after Lupita. He takes her to the home she grew up in. They have unprotected sex and he is JP over the idea she saved her virginity for someone else but she reassures him she was waiting for him.
Lupita tells Roman about her family's history with the land, and he learns Antonio was screwing them over and tying up their money with court fees.
Roman brings Lupita home where her family are relieved she is safe. Roman announces his intention to marry Lupita and move down there to build the ranch with his best family. He presumably killed Antonio and got the land back for the Torres family. Lupita's family accepts him.
Epilogue, few months later. Lupita is pregnant and she and Roman build new wings in their home for her parents to live in.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read books 4,6,and 8

[Biluma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not enjoy too many of the stories

I was really excited to read this series of stories. I like darker romances and there were a couple of stories I enjoyed in this but many I didn’t.
- This was a first time seeing necrophilia listed in triggers and that story was a difficult read.
- I don’t consider a story a romance if the characters don’t end up together and that happened in several of the stories.
- At least one story ended at a cliffhanger and that really put me off.

For the most part, if you only want to read a story for violent sex scenes and don’t care that there is anything else involved, this is for you. No judgment. I enjoyed a couple stories. Would not read again and would not recommend.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not so much dark as, uh, what’s the word. . . Dumb. Out of the gate, we have a story involving Pornhub’s greatest hits: incest (well, sorta; he’s her uncle-in-law? If that’s a thing) she’s « barely legal » and pursuing, so, I mean, good for her that she knows what she wants and goes for it. But then. . . Meh, I DNF’d at that point. I guess I’m looking for the woman who, when confronted with an alpha-hole who orders her to strip or whatever, turns around and laughs in his face, or better yet, walks right back out the door. Is she horny? Yes! Does she mewl and demure and then writhe in pleasure while he calls her a slut? No. Come on, ladies! Reclaim your power! And not the rather dubious « power » of being able to turn a guy on. Guys get turned on by a breeze, or the texture of their underwear. It’s not hard, until it is, is what I’m saying. Make your antagonist work for it!

Okay, I’m done taking my wrath upon the genre out on this poor, sad, waste of pixels.

[smol fishling ⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

➜ ᑌᔕEᗪ ᗩᑎᗪ ᗷOᑌᑎᗪ - Anthology
. . .
❥・Wrong Desires - Kelly Kelsey ⭐⭐
❥・Caged - Felicity Brandon ⭐
❥・Noxious - TL Mayhew ⭐
❥・A Little More - JM Walker ⭐⭐
❥・Paid in Full - Vivian Murdoch ⭐⭐
❥・Stolen - Demi Lane ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
❥・By His Hands - A.A. Davies ⭐⭐
❥・Taken by Nikolai - Brooke Summers ⭐⭐⭐⭐
❥・Gero - YD La Mer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
❥・Trapping His Queens - Serena Micheals ⭐
❥・Claiming His Prize - Sahara Roberts ⭐

[Dondalaya · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

This anthology was atrocious, and should not be labeled a romance as there was no romance within these stories, with the exception of the first story, but all the others were horrible.

I do not recommend this book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrong Desires by Kelly Kelsey- Overall, I loved it. Breeding, forced Pregnancy [ this wasn't truly shown, only hinted at] dub-con with the first scene, and it was consensual sex all the time after that. He had tampered with her birth control pill to get her pregnant. Overall, it wasn't that dark to me, but it was dark as well. Forcing someone to have a baby is dark and should not be done in real life!

The Novella is short as well. Wish it were longer.

Rating: 2.5/3 out of 5

Triggers for Wrong Desires:

Dub-con
BC Tampering
Forced Pregnancy with 🤰
Breeding
Age-gap
Somewhat taboo


Caged by Felicity Brandon, writing as Elodie Crowe- Wow, this one was intense. While I like it, I also hate it at the same time. All the time, non-con of the smut, I didn't like it all the time. The leading man is a shithead/assshole and the female lead is in an poor situation. Forcing someone to have a baby is dark and should not be done in real life!

The Novella is short as well. Wish it were longer.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Triggers for Caged:

Non-con smut
Forced Pregnancy with 🤰
Breeding
Master/slave kinks
Human cow tropes
Bondage kink

Noxious by TL Mayhew- Unnamed gas kills off many people. Women are taken and bred over and over again. I like this one for some reason. I could see this as the government would do.
Forcing someone to have a baby is dark and should not be done in real life!

The Novella is short as well. Wish it were longer.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Triggers for Noxious

Non-con smut
Forced Pregnancy with 🤰🤰
Forced Pregnancy 🤰 with the acceptance that it will always be like this.
Breeding
Master/breeding slave trope

A Little More by JM Walker- Dark Romance, for sure, but not that dark or bad. Additionally, the concept of force breeding is mentioned, but it is not depicted at all. I would have loved to see a few months' worth of updates from the last bit to see what her thoughts were. Forcing someone to have a baby is dark and should not be done in real life!

The Novella is short as well. Wish it were longer.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Triggers for A Little More

Dub-con borderline Non-con
BC Tampering
Forced Pregnancy with 🤰
Breeding
Dom/Sub trope/kinks

Paid in Full by Vivian Murdoch - Full review of the book itself.
Too short for me to give it a higher rating. The lack of some details is also another reason, the third is the lack of Penny [Peneople] fighting thoughts or any thoughts of getting freed, or the feasting hatred on her father for doing this to her, then men that raped her.

Overall, it lacks certain elements I felt were unnecessary. I still like forced breeding books, but I'm getting tired of the ones that have the female lead saying, "That's okay, or " I love this child."

Side note: Taryn Morea, who wrote the Innocent Trilogy, has the main lead female hating that she had no choice but to get pregnant.

Forcing someone to have a baby is dark and should not be done in real life!

Rating: 2 out of 5

Triggers for Paid in Full

Non-con
BC Tampering
Forced Pregnancy with 🤰
Breeding
Dom- masters/Sub cow trope/kinks
HuCow
Lactation
Humiliation
Degradation
Auction, the father owed a lot of money to people, and to get out of it, he placed his daughter up for auction to be bought.

Stolen by Demi Lane - Kidnapping/lady-napping the bride-to-be on her wedding day. Older, best friend type of guy. Dark enough to be in this book, but to me, not really. Yes she is rape and pregnanted but she stayed with him after getting the money.

Forcing someone to have a baby is dark and should not be done in real life!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Triggers for Stolen

Non-con/dub-con
BC Tampering
Forced Pregnancy with 🤰
Breeding
Bondage

By His Hands by A.A. Davis - Mother is a bitch, moving from man to man. The daughter was okay, but it needed to be longer, like when Olive is five months pregnant and he finds her. Takes her back to his home and makes love to her.

Forcing someone to have a baby is dark and should not be done in real life!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Triggers for By His Hands

Dub-con
Breeding
BC Tampering
Forced Pregnancy with 🤰
age-gap
Underage sex with a seventeen-year-old

Taken by Nikolai By Brooke Summers - Mafia story, I love it, wish it was longer and more detailed.

Triggers for Taken by Nikolai

Praise and Degradation.
Dubious consent
Forced/Non-consensual pregnancy.
Blood, murder, and drugging.

Gero By

nothing but horror and smut.

No pregnancy, but having thoughts of breeding.

1 out of 5

Trapping His Queen by Selena

Not the full book.

Claiming His Prize by

Not really forced breeding

Overall, I wish the novellas were longer and possibly made darker. With some of the women hating that they are pregnant and wish it were gone or done with.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wrong Desires - Kelly Kelsey
2 stars.
Not terrible, but I found it pretty boring. This was all the bad aspects of insta love. Which I don’t always dislike instalove stories. Sometimes I find them to be awesome, but this one did not have any build or tension for me.forced pregnancy is actually a kink for me. Haha. Oh dear. But in general I didn’t trust this writer. You know how you need to trust the writer to enjoy dark romance? For example little things, like at the start of the book when the POV of Aspen says that she knows Ethan is every woman’s dream, and like… do gay people not exist in this world? It’s such a little thing, but there are a few things like that, which make me less trusting of the writer. So when they are writing dark kinks, it feels less safe or something. Don’t mind me though - it’s not like this short was extremely messed up or badly written.

Caged - Eloide Crowe
3 stars.
This was dark af. Major Handmaid’s Tale vibes. It leaves us without really knowing what will happen, and I was hoping that this was the beginning of a longer book, but alas. It was not. Anyway. I’m deciding that the FMC builds a resistance behind enemy lines somehow and gets the eff out. Well written.

Noxious - TL Mayhew
2 stars.
This made me sad.

A Little Bit More - JM Walker
2 stars.
This kept giving random information that didn’t seem to really build anywhere. At one point the MMC tells us that he’s hidden parts of himself that the FMC won’t find out until after they’re married, so I was waiting for a big reveal that never comes. There is the bit about the pregnancy, but that honestly seemed pretty in line with everything we and she already knew about him. Evidenced by the fact that she really isn’t that surprised. I almost enjoyed this, but it felt like the author was just randomly saying things rather than building a story with cohesive characters. At the start it’s all dark and moody, but then we are repeatedly told by the FMC that actually she’s totally on board with the MMC and loves their sex life. So then…? What? It was weird.

Paid In Full - Vivian Murdoch
1 star.
It’s maybe unfair to rate this so low because a kink is a kink, but this was just really not my kink. HuCow… just not for me. I enjoyed that Penny was really into it though.

Stolen - Demi Lane
3 stars.
Awww, this was silly and cute. Why were they a part for so long though?

By His Hands - A. A. Davies
3.5 stars.
Weirdly a cool ‘fuck yeah’ ending. Felt proud of Olive. I know that the author plans to write more, so I’m interested in seeing where this story goes.

Taken By Nikolai - Brooke Summers
2 stars.
Disliked the placement of an older woman as just being needlessly evil. Felt ant-women vibes to me. Her boobs are fake and she gets face lifts, etc. Literally, the reason she gives for killing her husband and trying to kill her daughter is because her husband’s men don’t like her. Makes no sense. I got bored with this one. Was kinda cool that the FMC was an amazing assassin.

[Sam&Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW IS FOR ‘STOLEN’ by DEMI LANE……ONLY!!!

I am a massive fan of everything I’ve ever read by Demi Lane, which isn’t much yet, as she seems to be a fairly new author, but I’m excited for more! Her other books definitely skirt the non-con line as well, even more than this story, so skip if it’s not your thing. The thing I love about her stories, despite non-con, is the possessive alphas are Over-The-top dedicated and head over heels in love. Also despite the feeling of non-con, the female mc DOES want & enjoys everything even if she is in denial (usually fighting an inner battle with herself). Does this make it any less non-con? Probably not, but to me it’s better than okay, it’s freaking hot as hell🔥🔥🔥

This story was so well written, I could really empathize with both mc. I could truly feel the heroines inner conflict between wanting to be with her captor and knowing she shouldn’t. Getting annoyed when he is nice to her and preferring to be bound when taken so she doesn’t feel guilty for not fighting back harder. While there is a lot of history and back story between these 2 mc, author does a good job recapping history enough to make me feel like there is true love and desire between these 2 and that they would have gotten their HEA long before now if it weren’t for other selfish meddling people. I also like that not a lot of time was spent focusing on heroines family or fiancé, because we dislike them enough and don’t need more time focused on them.

This story was super freaking hot and I absolutely loved it. It’s definitely an edgy steamy romance, while giving you all the feels, including heroines inner turmoil and a true HEA. 🔥❤️❤️❤️❤️🔥


SIDE NOTE REGARDING REST OF ANTHOLOGY:

I’m not a fan of anthologies because usually they are mostly incomplete stories, either condensed, cliffhangers, HFN but not HEA….
Based on other reviews, this also seems to be true for most stories in the Used & Bound Anthology. Despite being a massive fan of non-con romances, most reviewers state that many of these stories are NOT romance, and involved OM/OW… which is a definite NO for me. Therefore I have chosen to skip remainder of the stories.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

By His Hands by A.A. Davies
- good, quick read that ends on a cliffhanger. Olive 18 & Apollo 34 (I think), forced pregnancy in a round about way. So that she would always be in his life. Ends with her determined to take care of the baby on her own.
- Apollo may have forced this on me, but I was going to make sure I was never controlled another day in my life.

Taken by Nikolai by Brooke Summers
- Russian Mafia, evil mother, another quick entertaining read. Yelena 25 & Nikolai 39 complete story, HEA

Wrong Desires by Kelly Kelsey
- Aspen 19 & Ethan around 38 I think. Forced pregnancy, short and sweet.

Caged by Elodie Crowe (Felicity Brandon)
- dnf at chapter 2

Paid In Full by Vivian Murdoch
- Penelope 22, Peter (silver fox) , Nick 35
- The "Should I make you moo for me?" Was disgusting 😒 actually all of the cow comments were a complete a turn off for me. There was also a bit of a time lapse that wasn't transitioned smoothly.

[KelsBookstagram · Rating 5 out of 5]

*My review is for Kelly Kelsey- Wrong Desires*

I am 𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 and damn this pure fire 🔥
Plusss secretly praying this gets extended!

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐛 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭.

Now i love Kelly's writing and an age gap tabboo. Ethan & Aspen do not friggin disappoint.

✔️ Drawn together in an unlikely situation
✔️ Posessive Alpha
✔️ Hidden twists and agenda
✔️ Sexy & forbidden

This absolutely captivating read i devoured in one sitting. I honestly was drooling iver Ethan.. plus there's nothing quite like a possessive alpha in a suit 🔥😍

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞.  𝐈𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭.

Take note of the triggers in this read and the anthology as a whole but DAMN... i absolutely need more from these two.

The epilogue absolutely has my heart. 🖤

[Zelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so excited to read this anthology by so many great authors! I bought this book for Taken by Nikolai by Brooke Summers. It’s a short read in the Made series. You can read this story as a standalone. In book 6, Vengeful Union, we hear about Yelena & how she disappeared after her boyfriend cheated on her. Yelena is Bratva royalty, raised by her grandfather—her mother is on her sixth husband and can’t be bothered with Yelena. Her mother’s husband, Nikolai, the Pakhan of Texas, is very interested in her. His obsession with Yelena leads to him doing all kinds of crazy things. It’s a short, intense story with a lots of passion, obsession, and twisty secrets. Loved it!

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

like a rollercoaster, high and low, with a lot of twists and turns

Some stories I rally enjoyed. Some, not too much. I have my favorite. But right at this minute, I can’t think. I had a lot of reading to finish the book. Then there were the stories in which I’d have to get the full book to finish. I’m writing on my I-Phone so I’ll have to look on my Kindle to be specific. I’ll add it after my review has been published. I’ve found ways I can like and finish a review without having it erased. SO many times have I lost my reviews, and those were very good. Before the words disappeared. So thank you to all the authors who contributed to this large book.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Collection of Stories!

I love the breeding kink and dark romance so I couldn’t wait for this anthology to come out. I absolutely loved the majority of the stories but there were a couple that while I wouldn’t say I disliked them, they just didn’t hold my attention as much as the others did. There were four that I need more of and I will be watching the authors of them to see if they will turn the novellas into full novels. If you’re like me and love dub-con/non-con, breeding kink, dark themes and/or possible triggers, and all the steamy scenes then this is definitely the anthology for you!

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 stars

The premise or theme of this anthology is one of my favorites of all the anthologies that I have read. Some new to me authors and a couple I'm familiar with. These are very different in how they came to craft their variation of the theme.

I was expecting it to be darker than it was. Do t get me wrong, there were a couple that hit that dark level (looking at you YD La Mar and one of TBE darkest Omegaverse books I've read), but for the most part it was pretty tame, and a couple times it was insta-lust and a little cheesy. Still a solid anthology.